std::basic_string<CharT,Traits,Allocator>::copy

 

C++

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Feature test macros (C++20)

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Concepts library (C++20)

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Symbols index

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Strings library

Null-terminated strings

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Classes

basic_string

basic_string_view (C++17)

char_traits

 

std::basic_string

Member functions basic_string::basic_string basic_string::~basic_string basic_string::operator= basic_string::assign basic_string::assign_range (C++23) basic_string::get_allocator Element access basic_string::at basic_string::operator[] basic_string::front (DR*) basic_string::back (DR*) basic_string::data basic_string::c_str basic_string::operator  basic_string_view (C++17) Iterators basic_string::beginbasic_string::cbegin (C++11) basic_string::endbasic_string::cend (C++11) basic_string::rbeginbasic_string::crbegin (C++11) basic_string::rendbasic_string::crend (C++11) Capacity basic_string::empty basic_string::sizebasic_string::length basic_string::max_size basic_string::reserve basic_string::capacity basic_string::shrink_to_fit (DR*) Modifiers basic_string::clear basic_string::insert basic_string::insert_range (C++23) basic_string::erase basic_string::push_back basic_string::pop_back (DR*) basic_string::append basic_string::append_range (C++23) basic_string::operator+= basic_string::replace basic_string::replace_with_range (C++23) basic_string::copy basic_string::resize basic_string::resize_and_overwrite (C++23)   basic_string::swap

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size_type copy( CharT* dest, size_type count, size_type pos = 0 ) const;		(constexpr since C++20)

Copies a substring [pos, pos + count) to character string pointed to by dest. If the requested substring lasts past the end of the string, or if count == npos, the copied substring is [pos, size()).

The resulting character string is not null-terminated.

Parameters

dest	-	pointer to the destination character string
count	-	length of the substring
pos	-	position of the first character to include

Return value

Number of characters copied.

Exceptions

std::out_of_range if pos > size().

If an exception is thrown for any reason, this function has no effect (strong exception safety guarantee).

Complexity

Linear in count.

Example

Run this code

#include <iostream>
#include <string>
 
int main()
{
    std::string foo("WINE");
 
    // brace-initialization initializes all characters to 0,
    // providing a null-terminator
    char bar[4]{};
 
    // do not copy the last char, to guarantee null-termination
    foo.copy(bar, sizeof bar - 1);
 
    std::cout << bar << '\n'; // requires bar to be null-terminated
}

Output:

WIN

Defect reports

The following behavior-changing defect reports were applied retroactively to previously published C++ standards.

DR	Applied to	Behavior as published	Correct behavior
LWG 847	C++98	there was no exception safety guarantee	added strong exception safety guarantee

See also

substr	returns a substring (public member function)
copy	copies characters (public member function of std::basic_string_view<CharT,Traits>)
copycopy_if (C++11)	copies a range of elements to a new location (function template)
memcpy	copies one buffer to another (function)