Set characters of a string to a character. More secure versions of these functions are available; see _strset_s, _strset_s_l, _wcsset_s, _wcsset_s_l, _mbsset_s, _mbsset_s_l.
char *_strset(
   char *str,
   int c 
);
char *_strset_l(
   char *str,
   int c,
   locale_t locale
);
wchar_t *_wcsset(
   wchar_t *str,
   wchar_t c 
);
wchar_t *_wcsset_l(
   wchar_t *str,
   wchar_t c,
   locale_t locale
);
unsigned char *_mbsset(
   unsigned char *str,
   unsigned int c 
);
unsigned char *_mbsset_l(
   unsigned char *str,
   unsigned int c,
   _locale_t locale
);
Parameters
- str 
 Null-terminated string to be set.
- c 
 Character setting.
- locale 
 Locale to use.
Return Value
Returns a pointer to the altered string.
Remarks
The _strset function sets all the characters of str to c (converted to char), except the terminating null character. _wcsset and _mbsset_l are wide-character and multibyte-character versions of _strset. The data types of the arguments and return values vary accordingly. These functions behave identically otherwise.
_mbsset validates its parameters. If str is a null pointer, the invalid parameter handler is invoked, as described in Parameter Validation. If execution is allowed to continue, _mbsset returns NULL and sets errno to EINVAL. _strset and _wcsset do not validate their parameters.
The output value is affected by the setting of the LC_CTYPE category setting of the locale; see setlocale for more information. The versions of these functions without the _l suffix use the current locale for this locale-dependent behavior; the versions with the _l suffix are identical except that they use the locale parameter passed in instead. For more information, see Locale.
Security Note These functions incur a potential threat brought about by a buffer overrun problem. Buffer overrun problems are a frequent method of system attack, resulting in an unwarranted elevation of privilege. For more information, see Avoiding Buffer Overruns.
Generic-Text Routine Mappings
| TCHAR.H routine | _UNICODE & _MBCS not defined | _MBCS defined | _UNICODE defined | 
|---|---|---|---|
| _tcsset | _strset | _mbsset | _wcsset | 
| _tcsset_l | _strset_l | _mbsset_l | _wcsset_l | 
Requirements
| Routine | Required header | 
|---|---|
| _strset | <string.h> | 
| _strset_l | <tchar.h> | 
| _wcsset | <string.h> or <wchar.h> | 
| _wcsset_l | <tchar.h> | 
| _mbsset, _mbsset_l | <mbstring.h> | 
For additional compatibility information, see Compatibility in the Introduction.
Example
// crt_strset.c
// compile with: /W3
#include <string.h>
#include <stdio.h>
int main( void )
{
   char string[] = "Fill the string with something.";
   printf( "Before: %s\n", string );
   _strset( string, '*' ); // C4996
   // Note: _strset is deprecated; consider using _strset_s instead
   printf( "After:  %s\n", string );
}
Before: Fill the string with something.
After:  *******************************
.NET Framework Equivalent
Not applicable. To call the standard C function, use PInvoke. For more information, see Platform Invoke Examples.
See Also
Concepts
Interpretation of Multibyte-Character Sequences
_strnset, _strnset_l, _wcsnset, _wcsnset_l, _mbsnset, _mbsnset_l