class String {
 
   char* fString;
public:
    // constructors
    String();
    String(const char*);
 
    int getLength();
    ....
}
 
int String::getLength() {
   //  put code in here for length...
}

String helloString("Hello Dave");
cout << helloString.length();

int length(char* string) {
...
}
 
 
void main() {
 
    char string[26] = "Hi....";
    length(string);
}

    // Like anything else, a string can be passed by reference
    // Generally this allows setting the POINTER to the variable,
    // rather than filling in the variable as strcpy() would.
    // Think of this like passing char** theName
void GetName( char* & theNameByRef, char** theNameByPtr )
{
    theNameByRef = "Chainsaw";  // yes, theName now POINTS TO the literal
    *theNameByPtr = "Chainsaw"; // same effect, but the syntax is different
}
 
char** TheNamePtr( char* n )
{
    return &n;  // a pointer to a pointer to chars
}
char*& TheName( char* n )
{
    return n; // same effect, but simpler syntax.  This returns a REFERENCE to the char*
}