Const Char and Char?

**Rider** · 02-18-2006

Hi, I'm rather new at C++ but I decided to go on and write 'a' program to see how far I could get. I got quite a while until I tried to do this:

Code:

class PlayerObject // The Object Representing the Player
{
	  public:
			 PlayerObject();
			 //Constructor
			 ~PlayerObject();
			 //Destructor
char EndReason[50]; //Value to set 'Reason of Endgame' to
};

*SNIP*
int main()
{
	PlayerObject Player1;
	Player1.EndReason[50] = "The games not finished yet";
}

But then when I compile It tells me that const char and char aren't compatible types...

So...

what's the difference between a Const Char and a normal Char, and why does it prohibit my program from working the way I want it to?

**Magos** · 02-18-2006

const means you're not allowed to modify the variable thus giving a more restricted use.

In your example you're trying to assign element 50 (a single char) the address to the string (a const char*). Use std::strcpy instead!

**joni** · 02-18-2006

> char EndReason[50]; //Value to set 'Reason of Endgame' to

You might prefer this:

Code:

string EndReason;

Strings are much nicer to work with than character arrays.

**Rider** · 02-18-2006

Originally Posted by joni

> char EndReason[50]; //Value to set 'Reason of Endgame' to

You might prefer this:

Code:

string EndReason;

Strings are much nicer to work with than character arrays.

Thanks a lot! Works like a charm

**7stud** · 02-18-2006

Originally Posted by Magos

const means you're not allowed to modify the variable thus giving a more restricted use.

In your example you're trying to assign element 50 (a single char) the address to the string (a const char*). Use std::strcpy instead!

...not to mention EndReason[50] is out of bounds. An arry of size 50 has index values that range from 0-49.

But the real problem is that an array name is const, and therefore you cannot assign something to it after it has been created, e.g.:

Code:

Player1.EndReason  = "The games not finished yet";

The only time you can assign a string literal(i.e. something surrounded by double quotes) to a char array is when you create it:

Code:

char str[10] = "hello";

In your code, after you create an object of your class, all the member variables have been created, and by then it's too late to try to assign a string literal to the char array member variable.

To deal with that restriction there is a function called strcpy(), which takes a string literal and copies it into the char array, which is allowed.

**dwks** · 02-18-2006

Code:

Player1.EndReason[50] = "The games not finished yet";

. . . either use

Code:

string EndReason;
Player1.EndReason = "The games not finished yet";

or

Code:

#include <cstring>
strcpy(Player1.EndReason, "The games not finished yet");

which you've already figured out I'm sure.

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