Printf() and Scanf() function in c

Title: printf() and scanf() in C

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to printf() and scanf()


2. The printf() Function
   
   
   
   • Format Specifiers
   
   
   • Escape Sequences
   
   
   • Examples
   
   
   
   


3. The scanf() Function
   
   
   
   • Format Specifiers for Input
   
   
   • Examples
   
   
   
   


4. Printf() and Scanf() together


5. Conclusion

Introduction to printf() and scanf()

In C programming, printf() and scanf() are two essential functions for handling input and output. They are part of the standard input/output library (stdio.h) and are used for printing formatted output and reading input from the user, respectively.

The printf() Function

The printf() function is used to display formatted output on the screen or to a file. It accepts a format string and optional arguments that will be inserted into the format string according to the specified format specifiers.

Format Specifiers

Format Specifier	Description
%d	Print an integer
%f	Print a floating-point number
%c	Print a character
%s	Print a string
%p	Print a pointer address
%%	Print a percent sign

Escape Sequences

Escape Sequence	Description
\n	Newline (move to the next line)
\t	Horizontal tab (insert tab space)
\r	Carriage return (move to the beginning)
\\	Backslash (print a backslash)
\"	Double quote (print a double quote)
\'	Single quote (print a single quote)

Examples

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int num = 42;
    float pi = 3.14159;
    char letter = 'A';
    char name[] = "John";

    printf("Integer: %d\n", num);
    printf("Float: %.2f\n", pi);
    printf("Character: %c\n", letter);
    printf("String: %s\n", name);

    return 0;
}

Output:

Integer: 42
Float: 3.14
Character: A
String: John

The scanf() Function

The scanf() function is used to read input from the user or from a file. It requires format specifiers to match the input data type and stores the input values into the specified variables.

Format Specifiers for Input

Format Specifier	Description
%d	Read an integer
%f	Read a floating-point number
%c	Read a character
%s	Read a string (ends with a space or newline)

Examples

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int age;
    float weight;
    char initial;
    char name[50];

    printf("Enter your age: ");
    scanf("%d", &age);

    printf("Enter your weight: ");
    scanf("%f", &weight);

    printf("Enter your initial: ");
    scanf(" %c", &initial);

    printf("Enter your name: ");
    scanf("%s", name);

    printf("Age: %d\n", age);
    printf("Weight: %.2f\n", weight);
    printf("Initial: %c\n", initial);
    printf("Name: %s\n", name);

    return 0;
}

Input:

Enter your age: 25
Enter your weight: 68.5
Enter your initial: J
Enter your name: Alice

Output:

Age: 25
Weight: 68.50
Initial: J
Name: Alice

Printf() and Scanf() together

You can use both printf() and scanf() together to create interactive programs. For example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int num1, num2, sum;

    printf("Enter the first number: ");
    scanf("%d", &num1);

    printf("Enter the second number: ");
    scanf("%d", &num2);

    sum = num1 + num2;
    printf("The sum is: %d\n", sum);

    return 0;
}

Input:

Enter the first number: 10
Enter the second number: 20

Output:

The sum is: 30

Conclusion

In this post, we discussed the printf() and scanf() functions in C programming. The printf() function is used to print formatted output, while the scanf() function is used to read input from the user. Understanding these functions is crucial for creating interactive programs that can display output and gather input from users effectively. With this knowledge, you can now build more sophisticated C programs that involve input and output operations.

Happy coding!