// convert_from_char.cpp
// compile with: /clr /link comsuppw.lib

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

#include "atlbase.h"
#include "atlstr.h"
#include "comutil.h"

using namespace std;
using namespace System;

int main()
{
    // Create and display a C style string, and then use it 
    // to create different kinds of strings.
    char *orig = "Hello, World!";
    cout << orig << " (char *)" << endl;

    // newsize describes the length of the 
    // wchar_t string called wcstring in terms of the number 
    // of wide characters, not the number of bytes.
    size_t newsize = strlen(orig) + 1;

    // The following creates a buffer large enough to contain 
    // the exact number of characters in the original string
    // in the new format. If you want to add more characters
    // to the end of the string, increase the value of newsize
    // to increase the size of the buffer.
    wchar_t * wcstring = new wchar_t[newsize];

    // Convert char* string to a wchar_t* string.
    size_t convertedChars = 0;
    mbstowcs_s(&convertedChars, wcstring, newsize, orig, _TRUNCATE);
    // Display the result and indicate the type of string that it is.
    wcout << wcstring << _T(" (wchar_t *)") << endl;

    // Convert the C style string to a _bstr_t string.
    _bstr_t bstrt(orig);
    // Append the type of string to the new string
    // and then display the result.
    bstrt += " (_bstr_t)";
    cout << bstrt << endl;

    // Convert the C style string to a CComBSTR string.
    CComBSTR ccombstr(orig);
    if (ccombstr.Append(_T(" (CComBSTR)")) == S_OK)
    {
        CW2A printstr(ccombstr);
        cout << printstr << endl;
    }

    // Convert the C style string to a CstringA and display it.
    CStringA cstringa(orig);
    cstringa += " (CStringA)";
    cout << cstringa << endl;

    // Convert the C style string to a CStringW and display it.
    CStringW cstring(orig);
    cstring += " (CStringW)";
    // To display a CStringW correctly, use wcout and cast cstring
    // to (LPCTSTR).
    wcout << (LPCTSTR)cstring << endl;

    // Convert the C style string to a basic_string and display it.
    string basicstring(orig);
    basicstring += " (basic_string)";
    cout << basicstring << endl;

    // Convert the C style string to a System::String and display it.
    String ^systemstring = gcnew String(orig);
    systemstring += " (System::String)";
    Console::WriteLine("{0}", systemstring);
    delete systemstring;
}

Output

Hello, World! (char *)
Hello, World! (wchar_t *)
Hello, World! (_bstr_t)
Hello, World! (CComBSTR)
Hello, World! (CStringA)
Hello, World! (CStringW)
Hello, World! (basic_string)
Hello, World! (System::String)