C++ string class

If you have a C++ string and a char pointer

string str = "mudkipz";
char * ptr;

how would you iterate through each char in the string using only the pointer and only pointer notation? In other words, you can't assign the address with ptr = &str[0];

I don't see how it's possible, since a string isn't an array. If it were, I'd just do this

string str = "mudkipz";
    char * ptr = str;

    for(int i = 0; i < str.length(); ++i)
    {
        cout << *(ptr + i);
    }

Any ideas?

Also, I can't use C-strings or any function that returns a C-string/char array like string.c_str()

This post is everything what's wrong with c++. It gives ``ideas'' like that to idiots like OP.

>>3
Ideas? It's part of a project for my course. And my professor doesn't seem like an idiot. Instead of contributing absolutely nothing, why don't you mention exactly what it is I'm doing that's so wrong? Stepping through a string with a char pointer? Please. Unless, of course, you don't really have any programming knowledge and just like to troll.

>>4
One of the many things that we tend to talk about here are the design of programming languages and their consequences. If you are not interested in this, and only want help with your homework, I suggest that you kindly take your questions to your professor or teaching assistant. Thank You

If your prof is forcing you to use unnecessary pointers to iterate a string, he's in fact an idiot.

>>5
"One of many" things. Okay. I get that. But the topic of strings and char pointers is surely another one of those many things. One thing for certain is personal attacks accomplish and contribute nothing. Actually, they detract. It'd be better not responding at all.

>>6
Maybe. But it's just to illustrate the relationship between the string class and pointers, I think. I just don't see how it's possible to initially point the char pointer to the beginning of the string without using the address operator. I.E. &str[0]

>>4
You shouldn't mix oop and pointer magic. One of the main principles of oop is encapsulation which, in terms of your example, means that you should manipulate objects of the stirng class only though their public methods, the inner representation of the string should never leak outside. Trying to "tinker" the state of objects through pointers completely violates this principle.

You can obtain a pointer to an inner array of chars using the [code]data()[/spoiler] method. c++ is shit

>>8
Okay, nevermind. I guess my professor is an idiot.

cout << *(ptr + i)
Why not str[i]? Getting a pointer and using *(ptr + i) isn't helpful anyway. It's just a more complicated way to write ptr[i]. Unless your professor wants you to iterate through the string with ptr++.

>>10
Yeah. He wants us to only use the pointer.

>>9
Maybe he's not as big of an idiot as everyone here thinks.  Look at this:
http://www.cplusplus.com/reference/string/string/operator[]/

When you use the square bracket operator, you get get a reference of a char at whatever location you point it at.  How does it do that?  Using data(). Coincidence?  Probably not.

>>12
C++: It even breaks URLs.

>>13
shitty board implementation...

>>8
Fuck "OOP principles", pragmatism is where it's at.

>>15
Fixing the mess you suggest isn't pragmatic at all.

>>16
it's pragmaticism anyway