sscanf() in C - Source Code Example

In this source code example, we will see how to use the sscanf() function in C programming with an example.

Function Overview

sscanf() is like the twin of sprintf(). But instead of creating strings, sscanf() reads data from a string. Think of it as the reverse of sprintf(). It is in the C library <stdio.h>.

Source Code Example

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    char info[] = "Ram 25 painter";
    char name[10];
    int age;
    char job[20];

    // Reading data from a string into different variables
    sscanf(info, "%s %d %s", name, &age, job);
    printf("Name: %s\n", name);
    printf("Age: %d\n", age);
    printf("Job: %s\n", job);

    char moreInfo[] = "10.5 2023";
    double salary;
    int year;

    // Reading a double and an int from another string
    sscanf(moreInfo, "%lf %d", &salary, &year);
    printf("Salary: %.1lf thousand\n", salary);
    printf("Year: %d\n", year);

    return 0;
}

Output

Name: Ram
Age: 25
Job: painter
Salary: 10.5 thousand
Year: 2023

Explanation

Look at the code, and you'll see:

1. We used sscanf() to get Ram's name, age, and job from a string.

2. We used it again to learn about his salary and the year from a different string.

In short, sscanf() is super useful when you want to take apart a string and find out what's inside!