CFStringCreateWithCString

CFStringCreateWithCString is a function in the Core Foundation framework of Apple's operating systems, including macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Its primary purpose is to create a Core Foundation string object from a C-style string. A C-style string is a null-terminated array of characters.

The function takes several arguments. The first is a reference to the memory allocation strategy to be used for the new string. The second is a pointer to the C-style string that will be used to initialize the Core Foundation string. The third argument specifies the encoding of the C-style string, which is crucial for correctly interpreting the characters. Common encodings include kCFStringEncodingUTF8 and kCFStringEncodingMacRoman.

When CFStringCreateWithCString is called, it allocates memory for a new CFString object and copies the contents of the provided C-style string into it, respecting the specified encoding. The resulting CFString object is immutable. It is the responsibility of the developer to manage the memory of the created CFString object, typically by calling CFRelease when it is no longer needed to prevent memory leaks. This function is a fundamental tool for bridging between C-style string manipulation and the more object-oriented Core Foundation string type.