sizeof() Explannation

sizeof() Explannation 

Sizeof prints out 6 for:

printf("%d\n", sizeof("abcde"));

But it prints out 4 for:

char* str = "abcde";

printf("%d\n", sizeof(str));

why?

Explanation:

The string literal "abcde" is a character array. It is 6 bytes long, including the null terminator.

A variable of type char* is a pointer to a character. Its size is the size of a pointer, which on 32-bit systems is 4 bytes.

Because here

printf("%d\n", sizeof("abcde"));

is a string, with considering NULL its 6 byte long.

and

char* str = "abcde";

printf("%d\n", sizeof(str));

is a pointer that requires 32bits hence 4 bytes :-)


Blog Author: Vijay Kumar

Go to: Java Aptitude