Question: If we have a `char *hello` - and the string is `"hello"`

and i do 

```
char *ptr;
ptr = hello;

```

then ptr will be pointing at `'h'`, correct?

Now I have just done an assignmnet in this and completed it using the following terms

if i wanted to move the pointer to the next chatachter i would just do `ptr++`. If i wanted to use the value of the pointer for some check, i would use `if(*ptr == '\0')...`

When i was doing the assignmnets our teacher gave us some pre built methods, and they used stuff like 

```
*string++ = *s++;

```

ok, so why would we want to do `*string` (which gets a value) - and combine it with `++`

I hope i make sense in explaining what is not clear. Its just I managed to do the whole assignment with ptr++ to move to next element or \*ptr to check its value

Answer: 
Not quite. In your original question, `ptr` would be set to point to the same first character as `hello`, which may *not necessarily* be `h`. You may have done:

```
char *hello = "goodbye";

```

in which case both `hello` and `ptr` will point to that `g`. However your edit now makes it clear that you meant:

```
char *hello = "hello";

```

Your comment on `ptr++` is correct. It will move `ptr` so that it points to the next character and, as per C string handling convention, `'\0'` marks the end of the string.

The statement:

```
*string++ = *s++;

```

is something you often see in string copying code (copying `s` to `string`), something like:

```
char *mystrcpy (char *d, char *s) {
    char *d2 = d;
    while (*s != '\0')
        *d2++ = *s++;
    *d2 = '\0';
    return d;
}

```

In this case, the line `*d2++ = *s++;` means:

* copy the character at `s` to the memory location `d2`.
* increment `d2` to point to the next destination character.
* increment `s` to point to the next source character.

In other words,

```
*string++ = *s++;

```

is functionally identical to:

```
*string = *s;
string++;
s++;

```
> 
> then ptr will be pointing at h, correct?
> 
> 
> 

Yes, correct.

> 
> ok, so why would we want to do \*string(which gets a value)
> 
> 
> 

The '\*' doesn't necessarily get a value: it may set a value, depending on which side of the '=' sign it is.

```
char *ptr;
ptr = "hello";
char firstLetter = *ptr; //get the value: now firstLetter contains 'h'
*ptr = 'w'; //set the value: now ptr is pointing to "wello".

```

Combining \* with ++ means that you do one after the other:

* On the right-hand side, '\*s++' means "get the value to which s is pointing, and then increment the s pointer".
* On the left-hand side, '\*string++' means "set the value to which string is pointing, and then increment the string pointer".

Combining them into a single statement simply a shorter, more compact (but functionally equivalent) way to write:

```
*string = *s;
string++;
s++;

```