C Language Fundamentals: Output, Control Flow, Strings, and Sorting
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C printf Function: Format Specifiers Explained
The printf
function in C is used to display formatted output to the standard output (usually the console). It allows programmers to control how data is presented by using **format specifiers**. Format specifiers are placeholders that define the type of data being printed and how it should be formatted. They begin with a %
symbol, followed by a character that specifies the data type.
Role of Format Specifiers
Format specifiers serve two main purposes:
- Data Type Identification: They inform the
printf
function about the type of data being passed as an argument. For example,%d
is used for integers, while%f
is used for floating-point numbers. - Formatting Control: They allow customization of how the data