The correct way to write a string class [closed]

Question

Mentioned in : http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/679/how-to-prepare-a-game-for-localization

It's a really good idea to use an actual string class and not just char * everywhere or you're going to be in a world of pain.

I currently use char * everywhere, and wondered if people could explain the benefits of a full string class, and the pitfalls of char *. Are there any good solid existing string classes to be recommended?

Not only in reference to localisation, but for any reason.

Answer 1

You might get better answers in Stack Overflow, as the benefits of a string class apply to all programs, not just games.

But a great string class, of course, is std::string from the C++ Standard Library! It keeps track of the length of the string (rather than searching for a null character every time you call strlen). You can easily iterate the string and append to or modify it, unlike using char* and the str functions. And at any time, you can get a char* via the member "c_str", so you can adapt it pretty easily. Here are examples of usage of std::string which look pretty helpful in getting a feel for exactly what the class can do for you.

It's basically one step towards higher-level languages when you're manipulation a string rather than an array of characters.