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From: Keith Thompson <Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Implicit String-Literal Concatenation
Date: Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:25:48 -0800
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Kaz Kylheku <433-929-6894@kylheku.com> writes:
> On 2024-03-07, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>> On Mon, 04 Mar 2024 20:55:28 -0800, Keith Thompson wrote:
>>> Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> writes:
>>>> On Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:14:52 -0800, Keith Thompson wrote:
>>>>> "A *string* is a contiguous sequence of characters terminated by and
>>>>> including the first null character."
>>>>
>>>> So how come strlen(3) does not include the null?
>>> 
>>> Because the *length of a string* is by definition "the number of bytes
>>> preceding the null character".
>>
>> So the “string” itself includes the null character, but its “length” does 
>> not?
>
> That's correct. However, its size includes it.
>
>  sizeof "abc" == 4
>
>  strlen("abc") == 3
>
> The abstract string does not include the null character;
> we understand "abc" to be a three character string.

Sure, if you define "abstract string" that way.  I'll just note that C's
definition of the word "string" does include the terminating null
character, and does not talk about "abstract strings".  (A string in the
abstract machine clearly includes the null character, but that's a bit
of a stretch.)

Yes, I'm being annoyingly pedantic.

> The C representation of the string includes the null character;
> the size is a representational concept so it counts it.
>
> It is common for C programs to break encapsulation and openly deal with
> that terminating null.

-- 
Keith Thompson (The_Other_Keith) Keith.S.Thompson+u@gmail.com
Working, but not speaking, for Medtronic
void Void(void) { Void(); } /* The recursive call of the void */