Question

The __________ function returns the length of a string.

Short answer

Answer: The function used to obtain the length of a string can be either 'len()' or 'length()', depending on the specific programming language.

Step-by-step solution

1. Understand the concept of string length

String length is the number of characters in a string. In programming languages, strings are usually sequences of characters, like words, sentences, or even just single letters. A string can also include digits, spaces, and punctuation marks. The length of a string helps in various tasks such as processing text, comparing strings, and counting words.

2. Identify the function used to obtain string length

Various programming languages have different built-in functions to return the length of a string. In many languages, like Python, JavaScript, and Ruby, the function to get the length of a string is called 'len()' or 'length()'. In this exercise, the missing function is "__________", so the correct answer can be either 'len()' or 'length()', depending on the specific programming language context.

3. Example usage of the function

Let's see an example using the 'len()' function in Python and the 'length()' function in JavaScript to get the length of a string: Python: ```python input_string = "This is a sample string." string_length = len(input_string) print("The length of the string is:", string_length) ``` JavaScript: ```javascript var inputString = "This is a sample string."; var stringLength = inputString.length(); console.log("The length of the string is:", stringLength); ``` Both examples will output: "The length of the string is: 23"