C/C++ :: Passing String Variable To Char Array?

I have program where i have to check to see if file exist, if it does not then it needs to be created. SO I have a read file that works fine, if th efile exist it reads whats in it, if it does it says the file does not exist. Now Im trying to creata function that creates the file if it doesnt exist. so in my read function when the person enters the name of the file to be checked for..I pass that name to a variable called name..Hoping that I could then pass it into my create file function if it does not exist..and use that variable to pass the name they entered into the createfile array..called filename.. but I am having trouble because i get error when i try to pass from a string name to char array.. even when I change the varialbe name to char, or char [256] it will not work.. I try to fing a way to convert th string to a char using the strncopy function but still no dice..here the code i have for the createfile funciton

void CreateNew(ofstream & FileNew)//Create file
{
char filename[256];
string name;

[Code].....

How can i do this without having to ask the person to enter the file name twice..