Compares characters in two buffers (case-insensitive).
int _memicmp(
   const void *buf1,
   const void *buf2,
   size_t count 
);
int _memicmp_l(
   const void *buf1,
   const void *buf2,
   size_t count,
   _locale_t locale
);
Parameters
- buf1 
 First buffer.
- buf2 
 Second buffer.
- count 
 Number of characters.
- locale 
 Locale to use.
Return Value
The return value indicates the relationship between the buffers.
| Return value | Relationship of first count bytes of buf1 and buf2 | 
|---|---|
| < 0 | buf1 less than buf2. | 
| 0 | buf1 identical to buf2. | 
| > 0 | buf1 greater than buf2. | 
| _NLSCMPERROR | An error occurred. | 
Remarks
The _memicmp function compares the first count characters of the two buffers buf1 and buf2 byte by byte. The comparison is not case-sensitive.
If either buf1 or buf2 is a null pointer, this function invokes an invalid parameter handler, as described in Parameter Validation. If execution is allowed to continue, the function returns _NLSCMPERROR and sets errno to EINVAL.
_memicmp uses the current locale for locale-dependent behavior; _memicmp_l is identical except that it uses the locale passed in instead. For more information, see Locale.
Requirements
| Routine | Required header | 
|---|---|
| _memicmp | <memory.h> or <string.h> | 
| _memicmp_l | <memory.h> or <string.h> | 
For more compatibility information, see Compatibility in the Introduction.
Example
// crt_memicmp.c
// This program uses _memicmp to compare
// the first 29 letters of the strings named first and
// second without regard to the case of the letters.
#include <memory.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main( void )
{
   int result;
   char first[] = "Those Who Will Not Learn from History";
   char second[] = "THOSE WHO WILL NOT LEARN FROM their mistakes";
   // Note that the 29th character is right here ^
   printf( "Compare '%.29s' to '%.29s'\n", first, second );
   result = _memicmp( first, second, 29 );
   if( result < 0 )
      printf( "First is less than second.\n" );
   else if( result == 0 )
      printf( "First is equal to second.\n" );
   else if( result > 0 )
      printf( "First is greater than second.\n" );
}
Compare 'Those Who Will Not Learn from' to 'THOSE WHO WILL NOT LEARN FROM' First is equal to second.
.NET Framework Equivalent
Not applicable. To call the standard C function, use PInvoke. For more information, see Platform Invoke Examples.
See Also
Reference
_stricmp, _wcsicmp, _mbsicmp, _stricmp_l, _wcsicmp_l, _mbsicmp_l
_strnicmp, _wcsnicmp, _mbsnicmp, _strnicmp_l, _wcsnicmp_l, _mbsnicmp_l