initializing strings as null vs. empty string

Question

How would it matter if my C++ code (as shown below) has a string initialized as an empty string :

std::string myStr = \"\";
....some code to optionally popul         


        

Answer 1

The default constructor initializes the string to the empty string. This is the more economic way of saying the same thing.

However, the comparison to NULL stinks. That is an older syntax still in common use that means something else; a null pointer. It means that there is no string around.

If you want to check whether a string (that does exist) is empty, use the empty method instead:

if (myStr.empty()) ...