C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)
BACHELOR OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
SEMESTER 1
C PROGRAMMING
Unit 3 : I/O Operations in C 1
C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)
Unit 3
I/O Operations in C
Table of Contents
SL Fig No / Table SAQ /
Topic Page No
No / Graph Activity
1 Introduction - -
3
1.1 Objectives - -
2 Formatted input and output 1, 2 1 4 - 10
3 Interactive Programming - - 11 - 12
4 Summary - - 13
5 Terminal Questions - - 14
6 Answers to Self Assessment Questions - - 15
7 Answers to Terminal Questions - - 15
8 Exercises - - 15
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1. INTRODUCTION
The printf and scanf functions are commonly used in the C programming language for input
and output operations. printf formats and prints output in C, using format specifiers like %d
and %s. scanf reads formatted input, requiring variable addresses as arguments, e.g.,
scanf("%d", &num);. Maintaining specifier alignment between printf and scanf is vital.
Careful input handling is essential to thwart security risks, such as buffer overflows. These
functions play a fundamental role in robust input/output management in C programming.
The functions scanf() and printf() permit the transfer of single character, numerical values
and strings; the functions gets() and puts() facilitate the input and output of strings. These
functions can be accessed within a program by including the header file stdio.h.
1.1. Objectives:
At studying this unit, you should be able to:
❖ Understand and implement the printf function in C for formatted output
❖ Gain proficiency in using scanf for formatted input in C programs
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2. FORMATTED INPUT AND OUTPUT
Input data can be entered into the computer from a standard input device by means of the
standard C library function scanf(). This function can be used to enter any combination of
numerical values, single character and strings. The function returns the number of data items
that have been entered successfully.
The syntax of scanf() function is as follows:
scanf(control string, arg1, arg2, …argn)
where control string refers to a string containing certain required formatting information,
and arg1, arg2,…, argn are arguments that represent the individual input data items. The
arguments represent pointers that indicate addresses of the data items within the
computer’s memory.
The control string consists of control characters, whitespace characters, and non-whitespace
characters. The control characters are preceded by a % sign, and are listed in Table 3.1.1.
Table 3.1.1: Control characters and its explanations
Control Character Explanation
%c a single character
%d a decimal integer
%i an integer
%e, %f, %g a floating-point number
%o an octal number
%s a string
%x a hexadecimal number
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%p a pointer
an integer equal to the number of characters read so
%n far
%u an unsigned integer
%[] a set of characters
%% a percent sign
scanf() reads the input, matching the characters from format. When a control character is
read, it puts the value in the next variable. Whitespaces (tabs, spaces, etc) are skipped. Non-
whitespace characters are matched to the input, then discarded. If a number comes between
the % sign and the control character, then only that many characters will be entered into the
variable. If scanf() encounters a set of characters, denoted by the %[] control character, then
any characters found within the brackets are read into the variable. The return value of
scanf() is the number of variables that were successfully assigned values, or EOF if there is
an error.
Program : Program to use scanf() to read integers, floats, characters and strings from
the user.
#include<stdio.h>
main()
{
int i;
float f;
char c;
char str[10];
scanf(“%d %f %c %s”, &i, &f, &c, str);
printf(“%d %f %c %s”, i, f, c, str);
}
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Execute this program and observe the result.
Note that for a scanf() function, the addresses of the variable are used as the arguments for
an int, float and a char type variable. But this is not true for a string variable because a string
name itself refers to the address of a string variable.
A control character is used to enter strings to string variables. A string that includes
whitespace characters can not be entered. There are ways to work with strings that include
whitespace characters. One way is to use the getchar() function within a loop. Another way
is to use gets() function which will be discussed later.
It is also possible to use the scanf() function to enter such strings. To do so, the s-control
character must be replaced by a sequence of characters enclosed in square brackets,
designated as […]. Whitespace characters may be included within the brackets, thus
accommodating strings that contain such characters.
Example:
#include<stdio.h>
main()
{
char str[80];
…
scanf(“%[ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST]”, str);
…
}
This example illustrates the use of the scanf() function to enter a string consisting of
uppercase letters and blank spaces. Please note that if you want to allow lowercase letters to
be entered, all the lowercase letters (i.e. from a-z) must be included in the list of control
string.
Formatted Output
Output data can be written from the computer onto a standard output device using the
library function printf(). This function can be used to output any combination of numerical
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values, single characters and strings. It is similar to the input function scanf(), except that
its purpose is to display data rather than enter into the computer.
The syntax of the printf function can be written as follows:
printf(control string, arg1, arg2, …, argn)
where control string refers to a string that contains formatting information, and arg1, arg2,
…, argn are arguments that represent the individual output data items. The arguments can
be written as constants, single variable or array names, or more complex expressions.
Examples:
printf("Hello, world!\n");
printf("i is %d\n", i);
printf(“%d”, 10);
printf(“%d”, i+j);
The first statement simply displays the string given as argument to the printf() function. In
the second statement, printf() function replaces the two characters %d with the value of the
variable i. In the third statement the argument to be printed is a constant and in the fourth,
the argument is an expression.
There are quite a number of format specifiers for printf(). Some of them are listed in Table
3.1.2.
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Table 3.1.2: Format specifiers for printf().
%d Print an int argument in decimal
%ld print a long int argument in decimal
%c print a character
%s print a string
%f print a float or double argument
%e same as %f, but use exponential notation
%g use %e or %f, whichever is better
%o print an int argument in octal (base 8)
%x print an int argument in hexadecimal (base 16)
%% print a single %
It is also possible to specify the width and precision of numbers and strings as they are
inserted ; For example, a notation like %3d means to print an int in a field at least 3 spaces
wide; a notation like %5.2f means to print a float or double in a field at least 5 spaces wide,
with two places to the right of the decimal.)
To illustrate with a few more examples: the call
printf("%c %d %f %e %s %d%%\n", '3', 4, 3.24, 66000000, "nine", 8); would print
3 4 3.240000 6.600000e+07 nine 8%
The call
printf("%d %o %x\n", 100, 100, 100);
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would print
100 144 64
Successive calls to printf() just build up the output a piece at a time, so the calls
printf("Hello, ");
printf("world!\n");
would also print Hello, world! (on one line of output).
Earlier we learned that C represents characters internally as small integers corresponding
to the characters' values in the machine's character set (typically ASCII). This means that
there isn't really much difference between a character and an integer in C; most of the
difference is in whether we choose to interpret an integer as an integer or a character. printf
is one place where we get to make that choice: %d prints an integer value as a
string of digits representing its decimal value, while %c prints the character corresponding
to a character set value. So the lines
char c = 'A';
int i = 97;
printf("c = %c, i = %d\n", c, i);
would print c as the character A and i as the number 97. But if, on the other hand, we called
printf("c = %d, i = %c\n", c, i);
we'd see the decimal value (printed by %d) of the character 'A', followed by the character
(whatever it is) which happens to have the decimal value 97.
You have to be careful when calling printf(). It has no way of knowing how many arguments
you've passed it or what their types are other than by looking for the format specifiers in the
format string. If there are more format specifiers (that is, more % signs) than the arguments,
or if the arguments have the wrong types for the format specifiers, printf() can misbehave
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badly, often printing nonsense numbers or (even worse) numbers which mislead you into
thinking that some other part of your program is broken.
Because of some automatic conversion rules which we haven't covered yet, you have a small
amount of latitude in the types of the expressions you pass as arguments to printf(). The
argument for %c may be of type char or int, and the argument for %d may be of type char
or int. The string argument for %s may be a string constant, an array of characters, or a
pointer to some characters. Finally, the arguments corresponding to %e, %f, and %g may be
of types float or double. But other combinations do not work reliably: %d will not print a
long int or a float or a double; %ld will not print an int; %e, %f, and %g will not print an int.
SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS - 1
1. The __________ string consists of control characters, whitespace characters, and
non-whitespace characters.
2. The control string used to read a hexadecimal character is_______________.
3. scanf() functions needs address of the data item to be read as the argument.
(True/False).
4. The output of the following statement is ________________. printf("%d %o %x\n",
64, 10, 75);
5. To print an int argument in octal, you can use ____________ format string.
6. The output of the following program segment is ____________.
int a=97;
printf(“%c”, a);
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2. INTERACTIVE PROGRAMMING
Creating interactive dialog between the computer and the user is a modern style of
programming. These dialogs usually involve some form of question-answer interaction,
where the computer asks the questions and the user provides the answer, or vice versa. In
C, such dialogs can be created by alternate use of the scanf() and printf() functions.
Program : Program to calculate the simple interest
#include<stdio.h>
main()
{
/* Sample interactive program*/
float principle, rate, time, interest;
printf(“ Please enter the principle amount: “);
scanf(“%f”, &principle);
printf(“ Please enter the rate of interest: “);
scanf(“%f”, &rate);
printf(“ Please enter the period of deposit: “);
scanf(“%f”, &time);
interest=principle*rate*time/100.0;
printf(“Principle=%7.2f\n”, principle);
printf(“Rate of interest=%5.2f\n”,rate);
printf(“Period of deposit=%5.2f\n”, time);
printf(“Interest=%7.2f\n”, interest);
}
Execute the above program and observe the result.
Example Input:
Please enter the principle amount: 1000
Please enter the rate of interest: 5
Please enter the period of deposit: 2
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Corresponding Output:
Principle=1000.00
Rate of interest= 5.00
Period of deposit= 2.00
Interest= 100.00
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3. SUMMARY
scanf() and printf() are the two formatted input/output functions. These functions can
handle characters, numerical values and strings as well. In C, printf formats output using
placeholders like %d or %s, while scanf handles formatted input with specifiers such as %d
for variables, ensuring data type alignment. For example, scanf("%d", &num); reads an
integer. Secure input practices, like validating and sanitizing user inputs, are crucial to
prevent vulnerabilities like buffer overflows. Proper specifier matching between printf and
scanf is essential for program reliability. Additional concepts include escape sequences for
special characters and modifiers for field width and precision. Understanding these
functions is fundamental for controlled, secure, and versatile input/output operations in C,
contributing to the development of robust and effective programs.
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4. TERMINAL QUESTIONS
1. Explain the role of format specifiers in the printf function in C. Provide examples of
different format specifiers and their corresponding data types.
2. Describe how the scanf function is used for input in C. Include examples with different
format specifiers and discuss the importance of using the correct specifiers for variable
types.
3. Discuss the significance of the & (ampersand) operator in the context of the scanf
function. Provide an example to illustrate its usage.
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5. ANSWERS TO SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
1. Control
2. %x
3. True
4. 64, 12, 4B
5. %o
6. a
6. ANSWERS TO TERMINAL QUESTIONS
1. Refer section 2
2. Refer section 2
3. Refer section 2
7. EXERCISES
1. Write C that calculates the factorial of a given number.
2. Write a C program that takes two integers as input from the user, calculates their sum
and product, and prints the results.
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