scanf

Arguments

format

a character string: specifies the format conversion.

v_1, ..., v_n

converted results.

Description

The scanf function gets character data on standard input (%io(1)), interprets it according to a format, and returns the converted results v_1, ..., v_n.

The format parameter contains conversion specifications used to interpret the input.

The format parameter can contain white-space characters (blanks, tabs, newline, or formfeed) that, except in the following two cases, read the input up to the next nonwhite-space character. Unless there is a match in the control string, trailing white-space (including a newline character) is not read.

• Any character except % (percent sign), which must match the next character of the input stream.

• A conversion specification that directs the conversion of the next input field. See scanf_conversion for details.

See also

• read — matrices read
• mfscanf — reads input from the stream pointer stream (interface to the C fscanf function)
• scanf_conversion — mscanf, msscanf, mfscanf conversion specifications