In this article, you’ll learn how to update an element of a specific position of an array in C/C++, along with that you’ll also see the algorithm to update an element in an array.
So, Let’s get started!
Prerequisite: You should have the knowledge of Traverse Operation in Array.
What is update operation in array?
The process of updating (modifying/changing) an existing element of an array at a specified index with another element is called updating an array or update operation in array.
How do you update an element in an array in C/C++?
Let’s see how you can update an element of a specific position of an array step-by-step:
Variables we are using here:
- a : Name of the array.
- size : Size of the array (i.e., total number of elements in the array)
- i : Loop counter or counter variable for the
for
loop. - pos : The position where you wish to update the element.
- x : The updated element.
The following algorithm updates a data element at a specific position pos
(position specified by the programmer) of a linear array ‘a
‘.
Algorithm to Update an element in an Array:
- Step 01: Start
- Step 02: Set
a[pos-1] = x
- Step 03: Stop
Visual Representation:

Implementation in C:
// writing a program in C to update an element in an array
void main()
{
int i, size, x, pos;
int a[]={1, 3, 5, 7, 9};
size=sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0]);
printf("The array elements before update operation are:");
for(i=0;i<size;i++)
printf("\na[%d]= %d", i, a[i]);
printf("\nThe position where you wish to update the element: ");
scanf("%d", &pos);
printf("The new element: ");
scanf("%d", &x);
a[pos-1]=x;
printf("The array elements after update operation:");
for(i=0;i<size;i++)
printf("\na[%d]= %d", i, a[i]);
}
If you compile and run the above program, it will produce the following result:
Output:
The array elements before update operation are:
a[0]= 1
a[1]= 3
a[2]= 5
a[3]= 7
a[4]= 9
The position where you wish to update the element: 2
The new element: 84
The array elements after update operation:
a[0]= 1
a[1]= 84
a[2]= 5
a[3]= 7
a[4]= 9
Implementation in C++:
// writing a program in C++ to update an element in an array
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int i, size, x, pos;
int a[]={1, 3, 5, 7, 9};
size=sizeof(a)/sizeof(a[0]);
cout << "The array elements before update operation are:" ;
for(i=0;i<size;i++)
cout << "\n" << "a[" << i << "]= " << a[i];
cout << "\nThe position where you wish to update the element: ";
cin >> pos;
cout << "The new element: ";
cin >> x;
a[pos-1]=x;
cout << "The array elements after update operation are:";
for(i=0;i<size;i++)
cout << "\n" << "a[" << i << "]= " << a[i];
return 0;
}
If you compile and run the above program, it will produce the following result:
Output:
The array elements before update operation are:
a[0]= 1
a[1]= 3
a[2]= 5
a[3]= 7
a[4]= 9
The position where you wish to update the element: 3
The new element: -10
The array elements after update operation are:
a[0]= 1
a[1]= 3
a[2]= -10
a[3]= 7
a[4]= 9
Conclusion:
In this article, you learned how to update an element of a specific position of an array in C/C++, you also became familiar with the algorithm to update an element in an array.
So,
I really hope that you liked my article and got a lot of value from it.
Now, It’s your turn!
If you have any question, feel free to ask in the comment section below right now.