When you initialize an array of characters
with a string, the number of characters in the string — including
the terminating '\0' — must not exceed the number
of elements in the array.You can initialize a one-dimensional character array by specifying:
Initializing a string constant places the null character (\0) at the end of the string if there is room or if the array dimensions are not specified.
The following definitions show character array initializations:
static char name1[ ] = { 'J', 'a', 'n' };
static char name2[ ] = { "Jan" };
static char name3[4] = "Jan";These definitions create the following elements:
| Element | Value | Element | Value | Element | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| name1[0] | J | name2[0] | J | name3[0] | J |
| name1[1] | a | name2[1] | a | name3[1] | a |
| name1[2] | n | name2[2] | n | name3[2] | n |
| name2[3] | \0 | name3[3] | \0 |
Note that the following definition would result in the null character being lost:
static char name3[3]="Jan";
When you initialize an array of characters
with a string, the number of characters in the string — including
the terminating '\0' — must not exceed the number
of elements in the array.