Space vs null character
c++, null, space
Solution
No, it will be a zero(0) character in every compiler. Seems that the font you use renders zero characters as a space. For example, in the old times, DOS had a different image (an almost filled rectangle) for zero characters.
Anyway, you really should not output zero characters instead of spaces!
As for the text file part: open the outputted file using a hex editor to see the actual bits written. You will see the difference there!
Problem
In C++, when we need to print a single space, we may do the following: ``` cout << ' '; ``` Or we can even use a converted ASCII code for space: ``` cout << static_cast<char>(32); //ASCII code 32 maps to a single space ``` I realized that, printing a null character will also cause a single space to be printed. ``` cout << static_cast<char>(0); //ASCII code 0 maps to a null character ``` So my question is: Is it universal to all C++ compilers that when I print `static_cast<char>(0)`, it will always appear as a single space in the display? If it is universal, does it applies to text files when I use file output stream?