memset, wmemset

Sets a buffer to a specified character.

Syntax

void *memset(
   void *dest,
   int c,
   size_t count
);
wchar_t *wmemset(
   wchar_t *dest,
   wchar_t c,
   size_t count
);

Parameters

dest
Pointer to destination.

c
Character to set.

count
Number of characters.

Return value

The value of dest.

Remarks

Sets the first count characters of dest to the character c.

Security Note Make sure that the destination buffer has enough room for at least count characters. For more information, see Avoiding buffer overruns.

By default, this function's global state is scoped to the application. To change this behavior, see Global state in the CRT.

Requirements

Routine	Required header
memset	<memory.h> or <string.h>
wmemset	<wchar.h>

For more compatibility information, see Compatibility.

Libraries

All versions of the C run-time libraries.

Example

// crt_memset.c
/* This program uses memset to
* set the first four chars of buffer to "*".
*/

#include <memory.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main( void )
{
   char buffer[] = "This is a test of the memset function";

   printf( "Before: %s\n", buffer );
   memset( buffer, '*', 4 );
   printf( "After:  %s\n", buffer );
}

The example produces this output:

Before: This is a test of the memset function
After:  **** is a test of the memset function

Here's an example of the use of wmemset:

// crt_wmemset.c
/* This program uses memset to
* set the first four chars of buffer to "*".
*/

#include <wchar.h>
#include <stdio.h>

int main( void )
{
   wchar_t buffer[] = L"This is a test of the wmemset function";

   wprintf( L"Before: %s\n", buffer );
   wmemset( buffer, L'*', 4 );
   wprintf( L"After:  %s\n", buffer );
}

The example produces this output:

Before: This is a test of the wmemset function
After:  **** is a test of the wmemset function

See also

Buffer manipulation
_memccpy
memchr, wmemchr
memcmp, wmemcmp
memcpy, wmemcpy
_strnset, _strnset_l, _wcsnset, _wcsnset_l, _mbsnset, _mbsnset_l