How to Convert String to Int C++ (And Vice-Versa)

Converting a String to an Integer

There are two methods of converting a string to an integer. Which one you should use depends on the version of your C++: whether it’s C++11 and above, or an earlier version of the language.

C++03 and Earlier

For the earlier versions of C++, we’re going to use the stringstream class to perform input-output operations on the strings.

Let’s say we have a string called s with a value of 999, and we want to convert that string into an integer called x. Here’s how to do it:

#include <iostream>
#include <sstream>

using namespace std;

int main() {
    string s = "999";

    stringstream degree(s);

    int x = 0;
    degree >> x;

    cout << "Value of x: " << x;
}

In the example above, we declare degree as the stringstream object that acts as the intermediary and holds the value of the string. Then, by entering degree >> x, we extract the value out of the object and store it as integer x.

Finally, use the cout function to display the result. If you use the code above properly, your output should look like this:

Value of x: 999

C++11 and Above

The C++11 update came with the new stoi() function which makes converting string to int much easier. In the example below, we’re converting a string named pp into an integer called num1:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

using namespace std;

int main() {
    string pp = "123";

    int num1 = stoi(pp);

    cout << "stoi(\"" << pp << "\") is " << num1 << '\n';
}

And here’s the output:

stoi("123") is 123

Converting an Integer to a String

Just like before, the method of converting an int to a string in earlier versions of C++ differs from the one used in C++11 and above.

Up to C++03

Users of this version can use the std::stringstream class from the C++ standard library. The following example converts the integer x into a string named out_string:

#include <sstream>

int main() {
    int x = 123;
    std::string out_string;
    std::stringstream ss;
    ss << x;
    out_string = ss.str();
}

Here’s what happens when you use the code above:

• Before converting the integer x, a string is declared through the std::string class.
• The stringstream object called ss is declared.
• An operator is used to insert the data from integer x to the stringstream object.
• The str() function returns the out_string with a value of 123.

Since C++11

For newer versions of C++, we’re going to use the std::to_string() class. Take a look at the example below, where integer n is converted into a string called str:

#include <iostream>
#include <string>

int main() {
    int n = 123;
    std::string str = std::to_string(n);
    std::cout << str << "\n";
}

As you can see, the new string class converts a string into an integer directly without having to use a stringstream object as the intermediary.

String to Int C++: Useful Tips

• You can end the code with \n or \endl. The former inserts a new line, while the latter inserts a new line and flushes the stream.
• If you want to redeclare the same stringstream with the same name, you can use str() to empty the stringstream.