Reading an Integer Value Using scanf in C programming

Reading an Integer Value Using scanf in C

The scanf function in C is commonly used to read user input from the standard input stream, typically the keyboard. To read an integer value from the user, you can use scanf with the appropriate format specifier.

Basic Syntax

The syntax for reading an integer value using scanf is as follows:

scanf("format string", &variable);

In this case, the format string should be %d for integers, and you need to pass the address of the variable where the input will be stored. Here’s a step-by-step example:

Example Code

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int number;

    printf("Enter an integer value: ");
    scanf("%d", &number);

    printf("You entered: %d\n", number);

    return 0;
}

In this example:

• int number; declares a variable of type int to store the user's input.
• printf("Enter an integer value: "); prompts the user to enter an integer.
• scanf("%d", &number); reads the integer input from the user and stores it in the number variable.
• printf("You entered: %d\n", number); displays the value that was entered.

Key Points

• Format Specifier: Use %d to read integer values.
• Address Operator: The & operator is used to pass the address of the variable to scanf.
• Error Checking: Consider adding error checking to handle invalid input and prevent runtime issues.

Note: Always ensure that the format specifier in scanf matches the data type of the variable to avoid unexpected behavior or errors.