xref: /386bsd/usr/share/man/cat3/vscanf.0 (revision a2142627)
1SCANF(3)                  386BSD Programmer's Manual                  SCANF(3)
2
3NNAAMMEE
4     ssccaannff, ffssccaannff, ssssccaannff, vvssccaannff, vvssssccaannff, vvffssccaannff - input format conversion
5
6SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
7     ##iinncclluuddee <<ssttddiioo..hh>>
8
9     _i_n_t
10     ssccaannff(_c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_f_o_r_m_a_t, ...)
11
12     _i_n_t
13     ffssccaannff(_F_I_L_E *_s_t_r_e_a_m, _c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_f_o_r_m_a_t, ...)
14
15     _i_n_t
16     ssssccaannff(_c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_s_t_r, _c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_f_o_r_m_a_t, ...)
17
18     ##iinncclluuddee <<ssttddaarrgg..hh>>
19
20     _i_n_t
21     vvssccaannff(_c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_f_o_r_m_a_t, _v_a__l_i_s_t _a_p)
22
23     _i_n_t
24     vvssssccaannff(_c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_s_t_r, _c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_f_o_r_m_a_t, _v_a__l_i_s_t _a_p)
25
26     _i_n_t
27     vvffssccaannff(_F_I_L_E *_s_t_r_e_a_m, _c_o_n_s_t _c_h_a_r *_f_o_r_m_a_t, _v_a__l_i_s_t _a_p)
28
29DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
30     The ssccaannff() family of functions scans input according to a _f_o_r_m_a_t as
31     described below.  This format may contain _c_o_n_v_e_r_s_i_o_n _s_p_e_c_i_f_i_e_r_s; the
32     results from such conversions, if any, are stored through the _p_o_i_n_t_e_r
33     arguments.  The ssccaannff() function reads input from the standard input
34     stream _s_t_d_i_n, ffssccaannff() reads input from the stream pointer _s_t_r_e_a_m, and
35     ssssccaannff() reads its input from the character string pointed to by _s_t_r. The
36     vvffssccaannff() function is analogous to vfprintf(3) and reads input from the
37     stream pointer _s_t_r_e_a_m using a variable argument list of pointers (see
38     stdarg(3)).  The vvssccaannff() function scans a variable argument list from
39     the standard input and the vvssssccaannff() function scans it from a string;
40     these are analogous to the vvpprriinnttff() and vvsspprriinnttff() functions
41     respectively.  Each successive _p_o_i_n_t_e_r argument must correspond properly
42     with each successive conversion specifier (but see `suppression' below).
43     All conversions are introduced by the %% (percent sign) character.  The
44     _f_o_r_m_a_t string may also contain other characters.  White space (such as
45     blanks, tabs, or newlines) in the _f_o_r_m_a_t string match any amount of white
46     space, including none, in the input.  Everything else matches only
47     itself.  Scanning stops when an input character does not match such a
48     format character.  Scanning also stops when an input conversion cannot be
49     made (see below).
50
51CCOONNVVEERRSSIIOONNSS
52     Following the %% character introducing a conversion there may be a number
53     of _f_l_a_g characters, as follows:
54
55     **       Suppresses assignment.  The conversion that follows occurs as
56             usual, but no pointer is used; the result of the conversion is
57             simply discarded.
58
59     hh       Indicates that the conversion will be one of ddiioouuxx or nn and the
60             next pointer is a pointer to a _s_h_o_r_t _i_n_t (rather than _i_n_t).
61
62     ll       Indicates either that the conversion will be one of ddiioouuxx or nn
63             and the next pointer is a pointer to a _l_o_n_g _i_n_t (rather than
64             _i_n_t), or that the conversion will be one of eeffgg and the next
65
66             pointer is a pointer to _d_o_u_b_l_e (rather than _f_l_o_a_t).
67
68     LL       Indicates that the conversion will be eeffgg and the next pointer is
69             a pointer to _l_o_n_g _d_o_u_b_l_e. (This type is not implemented; the LL
70             flag is currently ignored.)
71
72     In addition to these flags, there may be an optional maximum field width,
73     expressed as a decimal integer, between the %% and the conversion.  If no
74     width is given, a default of `infinity' is used (with one exception,
75     below); otherwise at most this many characters are scanned in processing
76     the conversion.  Before conversion begins, most conversions skip white
77     space; this white space is not counted against the field width.
78
79     The following conversions are available:
80
81     %%     Matches a literal `%'.  That is, `%%' in the format string matches
82           a single input `%' character.  No conversion is done, and
83           assignment does not occur.
84
85     dd     Matches an optionally signed decimal integer; the next pointer must
86           be a pointer to _i_n_t.
87
88     DD     Equivalent to ld;  this exists only for backwards compatibility.
89
90     ii     Matches an optionally signed integer; the next pointer must be a
91           pointer to _i_n_t. The integer is read in base 16 if it begins with
92           `0x' or `0X', in base 8 if it begins with `0', and in base 10
93           otherwise.  Only characters that correspond to the base are used.
94
95     oo     Matches an octal integer; the next pointer must be a pointer to
96           _u_n_s_i_g_n_e_d _i_n_t.
97
98     OO     Equivalent to lo;  this exists for backwards compatibility.
99
100     uu     Matches an optionally signed decimal integer; the next pointer must
101           be a pointer to _u_n_s_i_g_n_e_d _i_n_t.
102
103     xx     Matches an optionally a signed hexadecimal integer; the next
104           pointer must be a pointer to _u_n_s_i_g_n_e_d _i_n_t.
105
106     XX     Equivalent to llxx; this violates the ANSI C3.159-1989 (``ANSI C''),
107           but is backwards compatible with previous UNIX systems.
108
109     ff     Matches an optionally signed floating-point number; the next
110           pointer must be a pointer to _f_l_o_a_t.
111
112     ee     Equivalent to ff.
113
114     gg     Equivalent to ff.
115
116     EE     Equivalent to llff; this violates the ANSI C3.159-1989 (``ANSI C''),
117           but is backwards compatible with previous UNIX systems.
118
119     FF     Equivalent to llff; this exists only for backwards compatibility.
120
121     ss     Matches a sequence of non-white-space characters; the next pointer
122           must be a pointer to _c_h_a_r, and the array must be large enough to
123           accept all the sequence and the terminating NUL character.  The
124           input string stops at white space or at the maximum field width,
125           whichever occurs first.
126
127     cc     Matches a sequence of _w_i_d_t_h count characters (default 1); the next
128           pointer must be a pointer to _c_h_a_r, and there must be enough room
129           for all the characters (no terminating NUL is added).  The usual
130           skip of leading white space is suppressed.  To skip white space
131
132           first, use an explicit space in the format.
133
134     [[     Matches a nonempty sequence of characters from the specified set of
135           accepted characters; the next pointer must be a pointer to _c_h_a_r,
136           and there must be enough room for all the characters in the string,
137           plus a terminating NUL character.  The usual skip of leading white
138           space is suppressed.  The string is to be made up of characters in
139           (or not in) a particular set; the set is defined by the characters
140           between the open bracket [ character and a close bracket ]
141           character.  The set _e_x_c_l_u_d_e_s those characters if the first
142           character after the open bracket is a circumflex ^^. To include a
143           close bracket in the set, make it the first character after the
144           open bracket or the circumflex; any other position will end the
145           set.  The hyphen character -- is also special; when placed between
146           two other characters, it adds all intervening characters to the
147           set.  To include a hyphen, make it the last character before the
148           final close bracket.  For instance, `[^]0-9-]' means the set
149           `everything except close bracket, zero through nine, and hyphen'.
150           The string ends with the appearance of a character not in the (or,
151           with a circumflex, in) set or when the field width runs out.
152
153     pp     Matches a pointer value (as printed by `%p' in printf(3));  the
154           next pointer must be a pointer to _v_o_i_d.
155
156     nn     Nothing is expected; instead, the number of characters consumed
157           thus far from the input is stored through the next pointer, which
158           must be a pointer to _i_n_t. This is _n_o_t a conversion, although it can
159           be suppressed with the ** flag.
160
161     For backwards compatibility, other conversion characters (except `\0')
162     are taken as if they were `%d' or, if uppercase, `%ld', and a
163     `conversion' of `%\0' causes an immediate return of EOF. The FF and XX
164     conversions will be changed in the future to conform to the ANSI C
165     standard, after which they will act like ff and xx respectively.
166
167RREETTUURRNN VVAALLUUEESS
168     These functions return the number of input items assigned, which can be
169     fewer than provided for, or even zero, in the event of a matching
170     failure.  Zero indicates that, while there was input available, no
171     conversions were assigned; typically this is due to an invalid input
172     character, such as an alphabetic character for a `%d' conversion.  The
173     value EOF is returned if an input failure occurs before any conversion
174     such as an end-of-file occurs. If an error or end-of-file occurs after
175     conversion has begun, the number of conversions which were successfully
176     completed is returned.
177
178SSEEEE AALLSSOO
179     strtol(3),  strtoul(3),  strtod(3),  getc(3),  printf(3)
180
181SSTTAANNDDAARRDDSS
182     The functions ffssccaannff(), ssccaannff(), and ssssccaannff() conform to ANSI C3.159-1989
183     (``ANSI C'').
184
185HHIISSTTOORRYY
186     The functions vvssccaannff(), vvssssccaannff() and vvffssccaannff() are new to this release.
187
188BBUUGGSS
189     The current situation with %%FF and %%XX conversions is unfortunate.
190
191     All of the backwards compatibility formats will be removed in the future.
192
193     Numerical strings are truncated to 512 characters; for example, %%ff and %%dd
194     are implicitly %%551122ff and %%551122dd.
195
196BSD Experimental                January 8, 1993                              3
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