C PROGRAMMING PROGRAM • STRINGS
Remove Duplicate Characters from a String
Learn how to remove duplicate characters from a string using a clear C program.
PROBLEM UNDERSTANDING
Input and expected output
Sample input
programming
Sample output
Unique characters: progamin
COMPLETE C PROGRAM
Complete C implementation
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
int main(void)
{
char text[300];
int seen[256] = {0}, write = 0;
fgets(text, sizeof text, stdin);
text[strcspn(text, "\n")] = '\0';
for (int read = 0; text[read] != '\0'; read++) {
unsigned char value = (unsigned char) text[read];
if (!seen[value]) {
seen[value] = 1;
text[write++] = text[read];
}
}
text[write] = '\0';
printf("Unique characters: %s\n", text);
return 0;
}CURRENT STEP
SELECTED LINE
EXPECTED OUTPUT FOR THE SAMPLE
Unique characters: progamin
Step 0 of 0
PROGRAM EXPLANATION
Algorithm and explanation
- Read the required input values.
- Keep the first occurrence of each character using a fixed seen table.
- Display the computed result.
Keep the first occurrence of each character using a fixed seen table.
EFFICIENCY
Time and space complexity
Time complexity
O(n)
Auxiliary space
O(1)
DEBUGGING CHECKLIST
Common mistakes
Check this
Use the correct format specifier for every variable.
Check this
Initialize variables before using their values.
Check this
Check braces, semicolons and input order carefully.
Try it yourself
Practice: Run the program with the sample input, predict its output, and then test one boundary case of your own.
