C++ String Type Basics: String Operations and Common Methods

The C++ string class is a core tool for handling strings, safer and more user-friendly than C-style character arrays, avoiding memory management issues. It requires including the `<string>` header and using the `std` namespace. **Definition and Initialization**: Strings can be directly assigned (e.g., `string s = "Hello"`), constructed via constructor (e.g., `string s3("World")`, `string s4(5, 'A')`), or initialized as empty strings. **Basic Operations**: `size()`/`length()` retrieve the length (return `size_t`). Characters can be accessed with `[]` (unboundsafe) or `at()` (boundsafe). Concatenation is done via `+`, `+=`, or `append()`. **Common Methods**: `find()` searches for substrings (returns position or `npos`), `replace()`, `insert()`, `erase()`, `compare()`, and `clear()` (empties the string). **Conversion**: Convert `string` to `const char*` with `c_str()`, and `const char*` to `string` via direct construction or assignment. **Notes**: Avoid mixing C string functions. `size_t` is unsigned (watch for comparisons with negative values), and `empty()` checks for empty strings. (Word count: ~190)