Things Not To Do with Characters in C Programming

Do Not Ignore Character Encoding
char *str = "こんにちは"; // Assuming ASCII encoding
printf("%s", str); // Will not handle multibyte characters correctly
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Character encoding determines how characters are stored in memory. Ignoring or misinterpreting the encoding (like ASCII, UTF-8) can lead to bugs in processing textual data.

Do Not Forget Null-Terminating Strings
char str[4] = {'H', 'e', 'l', 'l'}; // Not null-terminated
printf("%s", str); // Undefined behavior
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In C, strings are null-terminated; failing to ensure that strings are properly null-terminated can lead to buffer overruns and undefined behavior.

Do Not Use Single Byte Functions For Multibyte Characters
char *str = "こんにちは"; // Each Japanese character is multibyte
printf("%lu", strlen(str)); // Incorrect length due to multibyte characters
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Using functions designed for single-byte characters (like strlen, strcpy) on multibyte character strings can cause incorrect calculations and operations.

Do Not Overlook Case Sensitivity In Character Comparisons
char a = 'a';
char b = 'A';
if (a == b) {
printf("Same character\n");
} // This will not print
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Characters in C are case-sensitive. Assuming otherwise can lead to logic errors in string processing and comparisons.

Do Not Perform Character Arithmetic Without Understanding ASCII
char c = 'A' + 1;
printf("%c", c); // Outputs 'B'
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Performing arithmetic on characters relies on their ASCII values. Without understanding ASCII, such operations can yield unexpected results.

Do Not Use Magic Numbers In Character Handling
if (c == 65) { // Magic number for 'A'
printf("Character is A\n");
}
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Using magic numbers for character values makes the code less readable and maintainable. Use character literals like 'A' instead of their ASCII numeric values.