tChar

I'm trying to improve my C++ skills and I came across tChar? I did a search on tChar but could not find much information. If I understand correctly tChar works with both 16bit Unicode and 8 bit strings. This helps make the application more portable. Am I correct about the above two statements? So if its better should a tChar generally preferred over a string? What are the function associated with tChar? If you have a link to a guide that would be great. Thanks

Edit*
I have one other question. Why do most people prefer to use a pointer to traverse a string rather than indexing like an array?

>I did a search on tChar but could not find much information.
It's a macro that chooses between char and wchar_t depending on the setupf of the application. For example:

Code:

---

#ifdef UNICODE
#define TCHAR wchar_t
#else
#define TCHAR char
#endif

---

>Why do most people prefer to use a pointer to traverse a string rather than indexing like an array?
It depends. Most of the time it's a misplaced belief that pointers are faster than indices. Some people prefer pointers out of habit, and some find them to be clearer. In C++, pointers are generally preferred because they can be used as iterators (and thus take advantage of the standard library) while indices cannot.

Thanks. So is tChar generally used over regular char's?

What are the standard library you are talking about? I know about vectors but how could you use an iterator for a string with a vector. I know you can move to the next position in a vector with the iterator but how does this effect whether you traverse a string with pointer or indices?

>So is tChar generally used over regular char's?
No, tchar is used by Windows programmers who can't make up their mind.

>What are the standard library you are talking about?
Look in the <algorithm> header. It uses iterators almost exclusively, and a pointer meets the requirements of an iterator.