String handling basics in C++ - Mini Project: Build & Apply

String handling basics

📖 Scenario: You are creating a simple program to manage a list of fruit names. You will practice basic string handling in C++.

🎯 Goal: Build a program that stores fruit names, checks for a specific fruit, counts how many fruits have names longer than a certain length, and then prints the results.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a vector of strings with exact fruit names

Create an integer variable for length threshold

Use a for loop to count fruits with names longer than the threshold

Print the count and whether a specific fruit is in the list

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Managing lists of names or items is common in apps like shopping lists, contact managers, or inventory systems.

💼 Career

Basic string handling and loops are foundational skills for software developers working with user input, data processing, and text analysis.

1

Create the fruit list

Create a std::vector<std::string> called fruits with these exact entries: "apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry".

C++

#include 
#include 
#include 

int main() {
    // Create the vector fruits with the given fruit names
    // Your code here
    return 0;
}

Need a hint?

Use std::vector<std::string> fruits = { ... }; to create the list.

2

Set the length threshold

Create an int variable called length_threshold and set it to 5.

C++

#include 
#include 
#include 

int main() {
    std::vector fruits = {"apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry"};
    // Create the int variable length_threshold and set it to 5
    // Your code here
    return 0;
}

Need a hint?

Write int length_threshold = 5; to create the variable.

3

Count fruits longer than threshold

Create an int variable called count_long and set it to 0. Then use a for loop with variable fruit to iterate over fruits. Inside the loop, increase count_long by 1 if fruit.length() is greater than length_threshold.

C++

#include 
#include 
#include 

int main() {
    std::vector fruits = {"apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry"};
    int length_threshold = 5;
    // Create count_long and set to 0
    // Use a for loop with fruit to count fruits longer than length_threshold
    // Your code here
    return 0;
}

Need a hint?

Use for (const std::string& fruit : fruits) to loop over the fruits.

4

Print the results

Use std::cout to print the text "Number of fruits longer than 5: " followed by count_long. Then check if "banana" is in fruits using a for loop with variable fruit. If found, print "Banana is in the list.", otherwise print "Banana is not in the list.".

C++

#include 
#include 
#include 

int main() {
    std::vector fruits = {"apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry"};
    int length_threshold = 5;
    int count_long = 0;
    for (const std::string& fruit : fruits) {
        if (fruit.length() > length_threshold) {
            count_long++;
        }
    }
    // Print the count_long with message
    // Check if "banana" is in fruits and print the result
    // Your code here
    return 0;
}

Need a hint?

Use std::cout to print messages and a for loop to find "banana".