Format specifiers
in C are used to specify the data type of the value that you want to print or read using functions like printf and scanf. They provide a way to format and interpret the data correctly. Each format specifier corresponds to a specific data type.
Here's a table of commonly used format specifiers in C programming language:
|
Format Specifier
|
Data Type
|
|
%d
|
Integer
|
|
%i
|
Integer (alternative)
|
|
%u
|
Unsigned Integer
|
|
%ld
|
Long Integer
|
|
%lu
|
Long Unsigned Integer
|
|
%lld
|
Long Long Integer
|
|
%llu
|
Long Long Unsigned Integer
|
|
%x
|
Hexadecimal Integer
|
|
%X
|
Hexadecimal Integer (Uppercase)
|
|
%o
|
Octal Integer
|
|
%f
|
Float
|
|
%lf
|
Double
|
|
%c
|
Character
|
|
%s
|
String
|
|
%p
|
Pointer Address
|
Here's an example so that you can use Format Specifiers in C:
#include
<
stdio.h
>
Copy Code
int
main
()
{
int
num
=
42
;
float
pi
=
3.14
;
char
letter
=
'L'
;
printf
(
"Integer = %d
"
,
num
);
printf
(
"Float = %f
"
,
pi
);
printf
(
"Character = %c
"
,
letter
);
return
0;
}
Output:
Integer = 42
Float = 3.141592
Character = L
Escape Sequences
In C, an escape sequence is a combination of characters that begins with a backslash and is used to represent special characters and control codes within strings. These sequences are interpreted by the C compiler to produce specific characters or actions.
|
Escape Sequence
|
Meaning
|
Example
|
Output
|
|
\
|
Backslash
|
"This is a backslash: \\n"
|
This is a backslash:
|
|
'
|
Single Quote
|
'''
|
'
|
|
""
|
Double Quote
|
"""Quoted text"""
|
"Quoted text"
|
|
|
Newline
|
"Line 1\nLine 2"
|
Line 1
Line 2
|
|
|
Tab
|
"Column 1\tColumn 2"
|
Column 1 Column 2
|
|
|
Carriage Return
|
"AB\rCD"
|
CD
|
|
|
Backspace
|
"ABC\bD"
|
ABD
|
|
f
|
Form Feed
|
"Page 1\fPage 2"
|
Page 1
Page 2 (may not be visible in all environments)
|
|
a
|
Bell
|
"\aBeep!"
|
(beeping sound or visual notification)
|
|
v
|
Vertical Tab
|
"Line 1\vLine 2"
|
(may not be visible in all environments)
|
Format specifiers and escape sequences make it possible to manipulate and display data in a controlled and predictable manner in C programs. They are essential for input and output operations and for generating formatted output.