Read formatted data from a string.
int sscanf( const char *buffer, const char *format [, argument ] ... );
int swscanf( const wchar_t *buffer, const wchar_t *format [, argument ] ... );
| Routine | Required Header | Compatibility |
| sscanf | <stdio.h> | ANSI, Win 95, Win NT |
| swscanf | <stdio.h> or <wchar.h> | ANSI, Win 95, Win NT |
For additional compatibility information, see Compatibility in the Introduction.
Libraries
| LIBC.LIB | Single thread static library, retail version |
| LIBCMT.LIB | Multithread static library, retail version |
| MSVCRT.LIB | Import library for MSVCRT.DLL, retail version |
Return Value
Each of these functions returns the number of fields successfully converted and assigned; the return value does not include fields that were read but not assigned. A return value of 0 indicates that no fields were assigned. The return value is EOF for an error or if the end of the string is reached before the first conversion.
Parameters
buffer
Stored data
format
Format-control string
argument
Optional arguments
For more information, see Format Specifications.
Remarks
The sscanf function reads data from buffer into the location given by each argument. Every argument must be a pointer to a variable with a type that corresponds to a type specifier in format. The format argument controls the interpretation of the input fields and has the same form and function as the format argument for the scanf function; see scanf for a complete description of format. If copying takes place between strings that overlap, the behavior is undefined.
swscanf is a wide-character version of sscanf; the arguments to swscanf are wide-character strings. sscanf does not handle multibyte hexadecimal characters. swscanf does not handle Unicode fullwidth hexadecimal or “compatibility zone” characters. Otherwise, swscanf and sscanf behave identically.
Generic-Text Routine Mappings
| TCHAR.H Routine | _UNICODE & _MBCS Not Defined | _MBCS Defined | _UNICODE Defined |
| _stscanf | sscanf | sscanf | swscanf |
Example
/* SSCANF.C: This program uses sscanf to read data items
* from a string named tokenstring, then displays them.
*/
#include <stdio.h>
void main( void )
{
char tokenstring[] = "15 12 14...";
char s[81];
char c;
int i;
float fp;
/* Input various data from tokenstring: */
sscanf( tokenstring, "%s", s );
sscanf( tokenstring, "%c", &c );
sscanf( tokenstring, "%d", &i );
sscanf( tokenstring, "%f", &fp );
/* Output the data read */
printf( "String = %s\n", s );
printf( "Character = %c\n", c );
printf( "Integer: = %d\n", i );
printf( "Real: = %f\n", fp );
}
Output
String = 15
Character = 1
Integer: = 15
Real: = 15.000000