Format Specifiers:

Format specifiers in C are used in input and output functions to specify the type and format of data being processed. They define how the data should be interpreted or displayed.

Common Format Specifiers:

1. Integer Specifiers:

%d: Represents a decimal integer.
%u: Represents an unsigned decimal integer.
%o: Represents an octal integer.
%x or %X: Represents a hexadecimal integer.

Example:

int num = 42;
printf(“%d, %u, %o, %xn”, num, num, num, num);

Output:

42, 42, 52, 2a

 

2. Floating-Point Specifiers:

%f: Represents a floating-point number.
%e or %E: Represents a floating-point number in scientific notation.
%g or %G: Chooses between %f and %e based on the value.

Example:

double pi = 3.14159;
printf(“%f, %e, %gn”, pi, pi, pi);

Output:

3.141590, 3.141590e+00, 3.14159

3. Character Specifiers:

%c: Represents a character.

Example:

char ch = ‘A’;
printf(“%cn”, ch);

Output:

A

4. String Specifier:

%s: Represents a null-terminated string.

Example:

char name[] = “John”;
printf(“%sn”, name);

Output:

John

5. Pointer Specifier:

%p: Represents a pointer address.

Example:

int var = 10;
int *ptr = &var;
printf(“%pn”, (void*)ptr);

Output:

0x7ffc7fe8a0dc (the actual address may vary)

6. Width and Precision:

%*d: Specifies the minimum field width for an integer.
%.2f: Specifies the number of digits after the decimal point for a floating-point number.

Example:

int number = 42;
printf(“%5dn”, number);

Output:

42