strchr() Function
The strchr() function in C locates the first occurrence of a specified character within a given string. It searches the string and returns a pointer to the matching character, which allows for further manipulation of the substring starting at that point.
Syntax of strchr()
char *strchr(const char *str, int c);Parameters
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
const char *str | The C string to be scanned. |
int c | The character to be located, passed as its int value. |
Return Value
The function returns a pointer to the first occurrence of the character in the string. If the character is not found, a null pointer is returned.
Notes
The terminating null-character is considered part of the C string, so strchr() can also be used to locate the end of the string. This function is defined in the header file string.h.
Examples for strchr()
Example 1: Finding a Character in a String
This example demonstrates how to search for a specific character in a string and print the substring starting from that character.
Program
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main() {
char text[] = "Hello, World!";
char *result;
// Search for the character 'W' in the string
result = strchr(text, 'W');
if (result != NULL) {
printf("Found substring: %s\n", result);
} else {
printf("Character not found.\n");
}
return 0;
}Output:
Found substring: World!Example 2: Handling a Character Not Present
This example shows the behavior of strchr() when the searched character is not present in the string.
Program
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main() {
char text[] = "Hello, World!";
char *result;
// Attempt to search for a character that does not exist in the string
result = strchr(text, 'z');
if (result != NULL) {
printf("Found substring: %s\n", result);
} else {
printf("Character not found.\n");
}
return 0;
}Output:
Character not found.