C Programming Language Tutorial
Variables and Data Types
Input/Output
Looping and Selection Structures
Array
Functions
Preprocessing Command
Pointer
Structure
File Operations
Important Knowledge
In this tutorial, we will learn how to output various types of data on the screen in C programming language. The printf()
function is the most commonly used function for displaying data on the screen.
printf()
function:
The printf()
function is part of the standard I/O library (stdio.h
) and is used to output formatted text on the screen. The function takes a format string as its first argument, followed by a variable number of arguments representing the data to be displayed.
The syntax for the printf()
function is:
int printf(const char *format, ...);
Here, format
is a string that contains placeholders for the data, and ...
represents the additional arguments, which correspond to the placeholders in the format string.
Placeholders and format specifiers:
Placeholders in the format string are preceded by a %
character and followed by a format specifier that indicates the type of data to be displayed. Some common format specifiers are:
%d
or %i
: Display an integer value.%u
: Display an unsigned integer value.%f
: Display a floating-point value.%lf
: Display a double-precision floating-point value.%c
: Display a character.%s
: Display a string.%%
: Display a literal '%' character.Example: Outputting various types of data:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { int num = 42; float pi = 3.14159f; double e = 2.718281828459045; char initial = 'A'; const char *message = "Hello, world!"; printf("The number is: %d\n", num); printf("The float value of pi is: %f\n", pi); printf("The double value of e is: %lf\n", e); printf("The initial is: %c\n", initial); printf("The message is: %s\n", message); return 0; }
Output:
The number is: 42 The float value of pi is: 3.141590 The double value of e is: 2.718282 The initial is: A The message is: Hello, world!
In the example above, we use the printf()
function to display various types of data, including integers, floating-point numbers, double-precision floating-point numbers, characters, and strings.
In summary, to output various types of data on the screen in C programming language, you can use the printf()
function with appropriate placeholders and format specifiers. This allows you to display different data types in a formatted and readable manner.
Using printf
for Formatted Output in C:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Using printf for formatted output int num = 42; printf("The answer is: %d\n", num); return 0; }
Output:
The answer is: 42
printf
is a powerful function for formatted output in C.
Print Statements and Display Data in C Language:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Print statements to display data float value = 3.14; printf("The value of PI is: %f\n", value); return 0; }
Output:
The value of PI is: 3.140000
printf
can handle various data types, including floats.
C Code Examples Demonstrating Output to the Screen:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Code examples demonstrating output to the screen printf("Hello, "); printf("World!\n"); return 0; }
Output:
Hello, World!
Multiple printf
statements can be used for sequential output.
Formatting Options in printf
for Various Data Types in C:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Formatting options in printf for various data types int integerVal = 123; float floatVal = 3.14159; char charVal = 'A'; printf("Integer: %d, Float: %.2f, Char: %c\n", integerVal, floatVal, charVal); return 0; }
Output:
Integer: 123, Float: 3.14, Char: A
%d
, %.2f
, %c
, etc., are format specifiers for different data types.
Writing to Standard Output in C Programming:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Writing to standard output fprintf(stdout, "This is written to standard output.\n"); return 0; }
Output:
This is written to standard output.
fprintf
allows writing to different output streams, and stdout
is the standard output.
Escape Sequences for Special Characters in C Output:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Escape sequences for special characters printf("This is a new line.\n"); printf("This is a tab\tcharacter.\n"); return 0; }
Output:
This is a new line. This is a tab character.
Escape sequences (\n
, \t
, etc.) provide special formatting in the output.
Error Handling in Output Statements in C:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Error handling in output statements int result = printf("This is a valid statement.\n"); if (result < 0) { fprintf(stderr, "Error during output.\n"); return 1; } return 0; }
printf
returns the number of characters printed. Negative values indicate errors.
Writing to Files vs Printing to Console in C:
#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Writing to files vs printing to console FILE *file = fopen("output.txt", "w"); if (file != NULL) { fprintf(file, "This is written to a file.\n"); fclose(file); printf("Data written to file.\n"); } else { fprintf(stderr, "Error opening the file.\n"); } return 0; }
Output:
Data written to file.
fprintf
can be used to write to files instead of the console.