C Programming Input and Output Functions

Output Functions in C

• putchar(): displays a single character to the console.
• puts(): displays a string to the console, ending with a newline character.
• printf(): the most versatile function, it formats and prints data to the console, utilizing format specifiers to control output.

Data Types and Format Specifiers in C

• decimal: %d for integer values.
• integer: %i for integer values, similar to %d.
• float (decimal notation): %f for floating-point numbers.
• float (exponential notation): %e or %E for floating-point numbers using exponential notation.
• char: %c for a single character.
• long int: %ld for long integer values.
• string: %s for a sequence of characters.

Input Functions in C

• scanf(): reads formatted input from the console, using format specifiers to define expected data types.
• getch(): retrieves a character from the keyboard without echoing it to the screen (not buffered).
• getche(): similar to getch(), but echoes the character to the screen.
• getchar(): reads a single character from the keyboard (buffered).
• gets(): reads an entire line of characters from the console, including spaces.

Escape Sequences in C

• An escape sequence is a combination of characters that represents a specific special character or action.
• Alert: \a generates an audible alert (a beep).
• Backspace: \b moves the cursor one position back.
• Newline: \n moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line.
• Carriage Return: \r moves the cursor to the beginning of the current line.
• Tab: \t inserts a horizontal tab character.
• Backslash: \\ represents a backslash character.
• Single Quotation Mark: \' represents a single quotation mark.
• Double Quotation Mark: \" represents a double quotation mark.
• Question Mark: \? represents a question mark.