Anagram Check Program in C++

Introduction

This program demonstrates how to check if two strings are anagrams of each other in C++. Two strings are considered anagrams if they contain the same characters with the same frequency, but possibly in a different order.

C++ Program

#include <iostream>
#include <algorithm>
#include <string>

/**
 * Function to check if two strings are anagrams of each other.
 * 
 * @param str1 The first string.
 * @param str2 The second string.
 * @return true if the strings are anagrams, false otherwise.
 */
bool areAnagrams(const std::string &str1, const std::string &str2) {
    // If lengths are not equal, the strings cannot be anagrams
    if (str1.length() != str2.length()) {
        return false;
    }

    // Create copies of the strings and sort them
    std::string sortedStr1 = str1;
    std::string sortedStr2 = str2;
    std::sort(sortedStr1.begin(), sortedStr1.end());
    std::sort(sortedStr2.begin(), sortedStr2.end());

    // Compare the sorted strings
    return sortedStr1 == sortedStr2;
}

/**
 * Main function to test the anagram checking function.
 * 
 * @return int Exit status of the program.
 */
int main() {
    // Example strings
    std::string str1 = "listen";
    std::string str2 = "silent";

    // Check if the strings are anagrams
    if (areAnagrams(str1, str2)) {
        std::cout << str1 << " and " << str2 << " are anagrams." << std::endl;
    } else {
        std::cout << str1 << " and " << str2 << " are not anagrams." << std::endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Explanation

The program consists of a function areAnagrams and a main function:

• areAnagrams: This function takes two strings as input and returns a boolean value indicating whether they are anagrams. It first checks if the lengths of the strings are equal. If not, it immediately returns false. If the lengths are equal, it sorts both strings and compares the sorted versions. If the sorted strings are identical, the original strings are anagrams.
• main: This is the entry point of the program. It defines two example strings, calls the areAnagrams function to check if they are anagrams, and prints the result.

Key Points:

• The program uses the std::sort function from the C++ Standard Library to sort the strings.
• Sorting the strings and then comparing them is a straightforward way to check for anagrams.
• If the strings have different lengths, they cannot be anagrams, and the function returns false immediately.