Introduction To Character Sets

The C++ character set comprises alphabets, special symbols, digits, and whitespace characters that are recognized and accepted by C++ programs. These elements are utilized to form commands, expressions, identifiers, and other language constructs within C++.

In addition to standard characters, C++ also employs special character combinations to represent particular conditions. For instance, '\n' denotes a newline, '\b' represents a backspace, and '\t' signifies a horizontal tab.

The character set in C++ can be broadly categorized into four groups:

• Letters: Alphabets from A-Z and a-z. Note that uppercase and lowercase letters are distinct in C++.
• Digits: Numeric digits from 0 to 9.
• Special Symbols: Various symbols such as +, -, *, /, %, ^, &, |, ~, !, <, >, =, ( ), [, ], , ;, :, ,, ., ?, ', ", , #, $, @, etc.
• Whitespace: Blank space, horizontal tab, carriage return, newline.

Example of C++ Character Set Usage

Below is an example C++ program demonstrating the use of character sets:

#include<iostream>
using namespace std;
 
int main() {
  char letter, digit, specialCharacter;
 
  cout << "Enter a letter: ";
  cin >> letter;
  cout << "You entered a letter: " << letter << endl;
 
  cout << "\nEnter a digit: ";
  cin >> digit;
  cout << "You entered a digit: " << digit << endl;
 
  cout << "\nEnter a special character: ";
  cin >> specialCharacter;
  cout << "You entered a special character: " << specialCharacter << endl;
 
  return 0;
}

Output:-

Enter a letter: e
You entered a letter: e

Enter a digit: 7
You entered a digit: 7

Enter a special character: @
You entered a special character: @

This program allows the user to input a letter, a digit, and a special character, demonstrating the utilization of various elements from the C++ character set.