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A string represents a sequence of characters. Delphi supports the following predefined string types.

String types
Type Maximum length Memory required Used for
ShortString 255 characters 2 to 256 bytes backward compatibility
AnsiString ~2^31 characters 4 bytes to 2GB 8-bit (ANSI) characters, DBCS ANSI, MBCS ANSI, etc.
WideString ~2^30 characters 4 bytes to 2GB Unicode characters; multi-user servers and multi-language applications
AnsiString, sometimes called the long string, is the preferred type for most purposes.
String types can be mixed in assignments and expressions; the compiler automatically performs required conversions. But strings passed by reference to a function or procedure (as var and out parameters) must be of the appropriate type. Strings can be explicitly cast to a different string type (see Typecasts).
The reserved word string functions like a generic type identifier. For example,

var S: string;

creates a variable S that holds a string. In the default {$H+} state, the compiler interprets string (when it appears without a bracketed number after it) as AnsiString. Use the {$H-} directive to turn string into ShortString.
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