I hope this enables newbies to understand how to use classes and and member functions, destructors etc;
This String class is itself fully equipped to handle string functions like search, substring, wordcount, length. You can modify it to make it more efficient.

Copy this to a cpp file and execute it

Thanks
Vijay
Code:
/* Function : This demonstrates the use of class String with basic utility functions
 * Date		: 2/21/2004
 * Author	:Copyright © 2004 Vijay S
 * Version :	Version : 1.0.0
 * Compiler : Preferably BCC 5.5.1
 * Email :  vbexpert@hotpop.com
*/


#include <iostream>
#include<string>
using namespace std;

class String
{
private:
char* str;char* tmp; //Declare string variables
long length;
long l;

public:
//Empty constructor;
String(){str="";length=0;tmp=new char[1];} //tmp is created as new as to delete in Destructor
//String Constructor
// Assign the string passed
String(char* s){length=strlen(s); l=length+1 ;str=new char[l];strcpy(str,s);*(str+length)='\0'; tmp=new char[1];}
//Destructor
~String(){delete str;delete tmp;
}

//Length of the string
long Length(){length=strlen(str);return length;}
//like in Java, toString returns the entire string
char* toString(){ return str;};
//Get the substring providing start and length parameters
char* subString(long stt,long len);
//Get the wordcount "default delimiter is spaces and CRLF
long WordCount();
//Get the location of a particular string or character inside the actual string
long getCharLoc(char*,long);
//set this string overriding  the initial
void setString(char* s)
{
delete str;
length=strlen(s); l=length+1 ;str=new char[l];strcpy(str,s);*(str+length)='\0'; tmp=new char[1];

}
};

long String::getCharLoc(char* sch,long stt)
{
long i,j;
long schlen=strlen(sch);
if (stt< 1 || stt>length)
	return 0;
else
	{
		for(j=0;j<schlen;j++)
		{	for(i=stt;i<length;i++)
			{
				if (*(str+i-1) == *(sch+j))
					{	
						stt=i+1;
						break;
					}
				else
					continue;
			}
			if (i>=length)
				break;
		}	
				
		if(j==schlen )
			return (stt-schlen);
		else
			return 0;
	}
}
char* String::subString(long stt,long len){
long a,b;
if( stt>length || len > length || (length-stt+1)<len || stt<=0 || len <=0 )
	return "";
else
	{
		a=len+1;
		tmp=new char[a];
		for(a=0;a<len;a++)
			*(tmp+a)=*(str+stt-1+a);
		*(tmp+len)='\0';
		return tmp;
	}
}
long String::WordCount()
{
long a,b=0;
for(a=0;a<=length;a++)
	if ((*(str+a)== ' ' || a==length || *(str+a)=='\n') && !(*(str+a)==' ' && *(str+a-1)==' ') && !(*(str+a)=='\n' && *(str+a-1)=='\n')  && !(*(str+a-1)==' ' && *(str+a)=='\n') && !(*(str+a-1)=='\n' && *(str+a)==' ') && !(*(str+a-1)=='\n' && a==length) && !(*(str+a-1)==' ' && a==length))
	b++;
	return b;
}





void main()
{
	//Define default string 
	String x("Hello world This is new C++");
		//show the string to check
	cout<<x.toString()<<endl;
	//get its length
	cout <<endl<<"The string length is " <<x.Length()<<endl;
//Get the location of the word "world"
	cout<<"\n'world' is found at " <<x.getCharLoc("world",1)<<endl;
	//Get the loc of 'new'
	cout<<"'new' is found at "<<x.getCharLoc("new",1) <<endl;
	//Change the string
	x.setString("Bull ****");
	//show the string to check
	cout<<x.toString()<<endl;
	//get its length
	cout <<endl<<"The new string length is " <<x.Length()<<endl;
	system("pause");

}