Delphi in a Nutshell

Name

PChar Type

Syntax

type PChar = ^Char;

Description

The PChar type is a pointer to Char and with Delphi’s extended syntax, it can also be treated as a string or a pointer to an array of Char.

Tips and Tricks

• PChar is used most often as a parameter type for DLLs written in C or C++, such as the Windows API.

• You can treat a PChar pointer as a pointer to an array of Char. The array index is an Integer subrange, starting from zero. Delphi does not provide any bounds checking for the array. The convention is that the end of the string is denoted by the presence of the #0 character.

• Perform pointer arithmetic on a PChar pointer by adding and subtracting integers similar to the way the Inc and Dec procedures work.

• Delphi’s extended syntax is enabled by default. Use the $X or $ExtendedSyntax compiler directive to disable this feature and revert to behavior closer to standard Pascal.

See Also

AnsiChar Type, AnsiString Type, Array Keyword, Char Type, PAnsiChar Type, PWideChar Type, String Keyword, $ExtendedSyntax Compiler Directive, $X Compiler Directive