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How can printf use f for type double, if scanf requires lf?
C Interview Questions and Answers
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How can printf use f for type double, if scanf requires lf?
Q: Someone told me it was wrong to use %lf with printf. How can printf use %f for type double, if scanf requires %lf?
A: It's true that printf's %f specifier works with both float and double arguments Due to the ``default argument promotions'' (which apply in variable-length argument lists values of type float are promoted to double, and printf therefore sees only doubles. (printf does accept %Lf, for long double.) scanf, on the other hand, accepts pointers, and no such promotions apply. Storing into a float (via a pointer) is very different from storing into a double, so scanf distinguishes between %f and %lf.
Here is a table listing the argument types expected by printf and scanf for the various format specifiers:
[TABLE GOES HERE]
(Strictly speaking, %lf is undefined under printf, though many systems probably accept it. To be portable, always use %f.)
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