scanf In C Language

In C, the scanf() function is a standard library function that is used to read input from the console. It takes a format string and a set of pointers to variables, and reads the formatted input from the console and assigns it to the variables. The format string is a string that contains special placeholders called conversion specifiers, which indicate how the corresponding input should be interpreted and stored.

Here is an example of how to use the scanf() function:

Copy code

#include <stdio.h> int main() {    int x;    float y;    char z;    printf("Enter an integer, a float, and a character: ");    scanf("%d %f %c", &x, &y, &z);    printf("You entered: x = %d, y = %f, z = %c\n", x, y, z);    return 0; }

In this example, the format string is "%d %f %c", which contains three conversion specifiers: %d, %f, and %c. The conversion specifiers indicate that the input should be interpreted as an integer, a float, and a character, respectively, and stored in the variables x, y, and z.

It's important to note that the scanf() function stops reading input as soon as it encounters a whitespace, newline, or EOF character. Also, if the input does not match the format specified in the format string, the function will fail and the values of the variables may be left unmodified.

Additionally, the scanf() function can be used to read multiple inputs with a single call by using a format string that specifies multiple conversion specifiers.

It's also worth noting that the scanf() function is considered to be less secure than other input functions, such as fgets() or getline(), as it does not have a built-in buffer overflow protection, so it's highly recommended to use them for reading input from the console.