WSCANF(3) | Library Functions Manual | WSCANF(3)

# NAME

`wscanf`, `fwscanf`, `swscanf`, `vwscanf`, `vswscanf`, `vfwscanf` — wide character input format conversion

# SYNOPSIS

`#include <stdio.h>`
`#include <wchar.h>`

int
`wscanf`(const wchar_t * restrict format, ...);

int
`fwscanf`(FILE * restrict stream, const wchar_t * restrict format, ...);

int
`swscanf`(const wchar_t * restrict str, const wchar_t * restrict format, ...);

`#include <stdarg.h>`

int
`vwscanf`(const wchar_t * restrict format, va_list ap);

int
`vswscanf`(const wchar_t * restrict str, const wchar_t * restrict format, va_list ap);

int
`vfwscanf`(FILE * restrict stream, const wchar_t * restrict format, va_list ap);

# DESCRIPTION

The `wscanf`() family of functions read input according to the given format as described below. This format may contain “conversion specifiers”; the results of such conversions, if any, are stored through a set of pointer arguments.

The `wscanf`() function reads input from the standard input stream stdin, `fwscanf`() reads input from the supplied stream pointer stream, and `swscanf`() reads its input from the wide character string pointed to by str.

The `vfwscanf`() function is analogous to vfwprintf(3) and reads input from the stream pointer stream using a variable argument list of pointers (see va_start(3)). The `vwscanf`() function scans a variable argument list from the standard input and the `vswscanf`() function scans it from a wide character string; these are analogous to the `vwprintf`() and `vswprintf`() functions, respectively.

Each successive pointer argument must correspond properly with each successive conversion specifier (but see the `*` conversion below). All conversions are introduced by the `%` (percent sign) character. The format string may also contain other characters. Whitespace (such as blanks, tabs, or newlines) in the format string match any amount of whitespace, including none, in the input. Everything else matches only itself. Scanning stops when an input character does not match such a format character. Scanning also stops when an input conversion cannot be made (see below).

# CONVERSIONS

Following the `%` character, introducing a conversion, there may be a number of flag characters, as follows:

`*`
  Suppresses assignment. The conversion that follows occurs as usual, but no pointer is used; the result of the conversion is simply discarded.
`hh`
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a char (rather than int).
`h`
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a short int (rather than int).
`l` (ell)
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a long int (rather than int), that the conversion will be one of `aefg` and the next pointer is a pointer to double (rather than float), or that the conversion will be one of `c` or `s` and the next pointer is a pointer to an array of wchar_t (rather than char).
`ll` (ell ell)
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a long long int (rather than int).
`L`
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `aefg` and the next pointer is a pointer to long double.
`j`
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to an intmax_t (rather than int).
`t`
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a ptrdiff_t (rather than int).
`z`
  Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a size_t (rather than int).
`q`
  (deprecated) Indicates that the conversion will be one of `dioux` or `n` and the next pointer is a pointer to a long long int (rather than int).

In addition to these flags, there may be an optional maximum field width, expressed as a decimal integer, between the `%` and the conversion. If no width is given, a default of “infinity” is used (with one exception, below); otherwise at most this many characters are scanned in processing the conversion. Before conversion begins, most conversions skip whitespace; this whitespace is not counted against the field width.

The following conversions are available:

`%`
  Matches a literal ‘`%`’. That is, “`%%`” in the format string matches a single input ‘`%`’ character. No conversion is done, and assignment does not occur.
`d`
  Matches an optionally signed decimal integer; the next pointer must be a pointer to int.
`i`
  Matches an optionally signed integer; the next pointer must be a pointer to int. The integer is read in base 16 if it begins with ‘`0x`’ or ‘`0X`’, in base 8 if it begins with ‘`0`’, and in base 10 otherwise. Only characters that correspond to the base are used.
`o`
  Matches an octal integer; the next pointer must be a pointer to unsigned int.
`u`
  Matches an optionally signed decimal integer; the next pointer must be a pointer to unsigned int.
`xX`
  Matches an optionally signed hexadecimal integer; the next pointer must be a pointer to unsigned int.
`a`, `A`, `e`, `E`, `f`, `F`, `g`, `G`
  Matches a floating-point number in the style of wcstod(3). The next pointer must be a pointer to float (unless `l` or `L` is specified.)
`s`
  Matches a sequence of non-whitespace wide characters; the next pointer must be a pointer to char, and the provided array must be large enough to accept and store the multibyte representation of the whole sequence and the terminating NUL character. The input string stops at whitespace or at the maximum field width, whichever occurs first. If specified, the maximum field length refers to the sequence being scanned rather than the storage space, hence the provided array must be 1 larger for the terminating NUL character.

  If an `l` qualifier is present, the next pointer must be a pointer to wchar_t, into which the input will be placed.

`c`
  Matches a sequence of wide characters consuming the number of wide characters specified by the field width (defaults to 1 if unspecified); the next pointer must be a pointer to char, and there must be enough room for the multibyte representation of all the characters (no terminating NUL is added). The usual skip of leading whitespace is suppressed. To skip whitespace first, use an explicit space in the format.

  If an `l` qualifier is present, the next pointer must be a pointer to wchar_t, into which the input will be placed.

`[`
  Matches a nonempty sequence of characters from the specified set of accepted characters; the next pointer must be a pointer to char, and there must be enough room for the multibyte representation of all the characters in the string, plus a terminating NUL character. The usual skip of leading whitespace is suppressed.

  The string is to be made up of characters in (or not in) a particular set; the set is defined by the characters between the open bracket `[` character and a close bracket `]` character. The set excludes those characters if the first character after the open bracket is a circumflex `^`. To include a close bracket in the set, make it the first character after the open bracket or the circumflex; any other position will end the set. To include a hyphen in the set, make it the last character before the final close bracket; some implementations of `wscanf`() use “`A-Z`” to represent the range of characters between ‘`A`’ and ‘`Z`’. The string ends with the appearance of a character not in (or, with a circumflex, in) the set or when the field width runs out.

  If an `l` qualifier is present, the next pointer must be a pointer to wchar_t, into which the input will be placed.

`p`
  Matches a pointer value (as printed by ‘`%p`’ in wprintf(3)); the next pointer must be a pointer to void.
`n`
  Nothing is expected; instead, the number of characters consumed thus far from the input is stored through the next pointer, which must be a pointer to int. This is not a conversion, although it can be suppressed with the `*` flag.

For backwards compatibility, a “conversion” of ‘`%\0`’ causes an immediate return of `EOF`.

# RETURN VALUES

These functions return the number of input items assigned, which can be fewer than provided for, or even zero, in the event of a matching failure. Zero indicates that, while there was input available, no conversions were assigned; typically this is due to an invalid input character, such as an alphabetic character for a ‘`%d`’ conversion. The value `EOF` is returned if an input failure occurs before any conversion such as an end-of-file occurs. If an error or end-of-file occurs after conversion has begun, the number of conversions which were successfully completed is returned.

# SEE ALSO

fgetwc(3), scanf(3), wcrtomb(3), wcstod(3), wcstol(3), wcstoul(3), wprintf(3)

# STANDARDS

The functions `wscanf`(), `fwscanf`(), `swscanf`(), `vwscanf`(), `vfwscanf`(), and `vswscanf`() conform to ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (“ISO C99”).

# CAVEATS

On systems other than OpenBSD, the `LC_NUMERIC` locale(1) category can cause parsing failures; see CAVEATS in setlocale(3) for details.

# BUGS

In addition to the bugs documented in scanf(3), `wscanf`() does not support the “`A-Z`” notation for specifying character ranges with the character class conversion (‘`%[`’).

August 30, 2019 | Debian