# std::wcsxfrm

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< cpp‎ | string‎ | wide

Defined in header `<cwchar>` |  |
std::size_t strxfrm( wchar_t* dest, const wchar_t* src, std::size_t count ); |  |

Transforms the null-terminated wide string pointed to by `src` into the implementation-defined form such that comparing two transformed strings with std::wcscmp gives the same result as comparing the original strings with std::wcscoll, in the current C locale.

The first `count` characters of the transformed string are written to destination, including the terminating null character, and the length of the full transformed string is returned, excluding the terminating null character.

If `count` is ​0​, then `dest` is allowed to be a null pointer.

### Notes

The correct length of the buffer that can receive the entire transformed string is 1+std::wcsxfrm(NULL, src, 0)

This function is used when making multiple locale-dependent comparisons using the same wide string or set of wide strings, because it is more efficient to use `std::wcsxfrm` to transform all the strings just once, and subsequently compare the transformed wide strings with std::wcscmp.

### Parameters

dest | - | pointer to the first element of a wide null-terminated string to write the transformed string to
src | - | pointer to the null-terminated wide character string to transform
count | - | maximum number of characters to output

### Return value

The length of the transformed wide string, not including the terminating null-character.

### Example

Run this code

    #include <iostream>
    #include <cwchar>

    int main()
    {
        std::setlocale(LC_ALL, "sv_SE.utf8");

        std::wstring in1 = L"\u00e5r";
        std::wstring out1(1+std::wcsxfrm(nullptr, in1.c_str(), 0), L' ');
        std::wstring in2 = L"\u00e4ngel";
        std::wstring out2(1+std::wcsxfrm(nullptr, in2.c_str(), 0), L' ');

        std::wcsxfrm(&out1[0], in1.c_str(), out1.size());
        std::wcsxfrm(&out2[0], in2.c_str(), out2.size());

        std::wcout << "In the Swedish locale: ";
        if(out1 < out2)
             std::wcout << in1 << " before " << in2 << '\n';
        else
             std::wcout << in2 << " before " << in1 << '\n';

        std::wcout << "In lexicographical comparison: ";
        if(in1 < in2)
             std::wcout << in1 << " before " << in2 << '\n';
        else
             std::wcout << in2 << " before " << in1 << '\n';

    }

Output:

    In the Swedish locale: år before ängel
    In lexicographical comparison: ängel before år

### See also

strxfrm | transform a string so that strcmp would produce the same result as strcoll (function)
do_transform [virtual] | transforms a string so that collation can be replaced by comparison (virtual protected member function of `std::collate`)
wcscoll | compares two wide strings in accordance to the current locale (function)
C documentation for wcsxfrm

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