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Byte Indices

Use the following tips:

  • Working with a bytewise index into a string presents problems similar to those posed by pointer manipulation. Consider this example, which scans a string for a backslash character:

    while ( rgch[ i ] != '\\' )
        i++;
    

    This might index a trail byte, not a lead byte, and thus it might not point to a character.

  • Use the _mbclen function to solve the preceding problem:

    while ( rgch[ i ] != '\\' )
        i += _mbclen ( rgch + i );
    

    This correctly indexes to a lead byte, hence to a character. The _mbclen function determines the size of a character (1 or 2 bytes).

See also

MBCS Programming Tips
Last Character in a String