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printf FunctionLocate this document in the navigation structure

Use
Purpose

Returns a string using the specified formatting.

Syntax

string printf (in string format,...)

Parameters

format

Format string (template) from which to create the final string.

The format string contains "%" format specifiers that are replaced by parameters passed as the...-arguments. The number of arguments is variable.

Description

This function returns a string built from the given format string by resolving format specifiers from a given variable argument list (like the printf() function in C).

Format specifiers have the following form:

%<flags><width><.pre><conversion> where:

<flags> can contain zero or more of:

-

Left justify within field.

+

Display leading sign.

<space>

Prefix space to result instead of sign.

0

Leading zeros.

<width>

Number of characters to expand to (optional).

<pre>

Precision to use for (optional after.).

diouxX

Minimum number of digits.

s

Maximum number of chars.

<conversion> contains one of:

%

"%" character

d

Signed decimal integer

I

Signed integer

u

Unsigned decimal integer

x, X

Unsigned hexadecimal integer

o

Unsigned octal character

c

Display as character

s

String

Return Value

Returns a string constructed from the format string by replacing all "%" format specifiers.

Example
`printf ("Lawrence Smith", format="%-20s will be opening %s in %s on %s %02d, %04d.", 
"a menswear store", "Billingsley", "January", 1, 1999)`