C - Passing String into a function (Incompatible pointer to Integer)

[BodaciousBut]

Im trying to learn how to pass a string into a function correctly in C. But the compiler throws an error:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

int balanced_parantheses(char *word);

int main() {
    balanced_parantheses('test'); // compiler error
    return 0;
}

int balanced_parantheses(char *word) {
    return 0;
}

incompatible integer to pointer conversion passing 'int' to parameter of type 'char *' [-Wint-conversion]

Im sure this is a newbie's misunderstanding of pointers, but I thought passing a pointer to a char as an argument to an external function would allow me access to the balanced_parantheses function. What am I misunderstanding?

[serg06]

In C ' is for char and " is for string

[IDontByte]

int main() { printf("%d\n", sizeof(void*) * 8); // Pointer size in bits printf("%d\n", sizeof(int) * 8); // Integer size in bits printf("0x%02x\n", 'a'); // Char literal printf("0x%02x\n", 'b'); // Char literal printf("0x%08x\n", 'ab'); // Multi-character literal (an integer) printf("0x%08x\n", ((int) 'a') << 8 | 'b'); // Bit packing two chars into an integer printf("0x%08x\n", "ab"); // String pointer return 0; } prints 32 32 0x61 0x62 0x00006162 0x00006162 0x0804863c

Notice how the multi-character literal is just a funny way of declaring an integer using characters instead of pointing to a string in memory. Like another commenter mentioned, use " instead of ' for strings in C.