What are the input and output for strings in C language?

An array of characters (or) collection of characters is called a string. In C programming, strings are null-terminated character arrays that end with the special character '\0'.

Syntax

// Input functions for strings
scanf("%s", string_name);
fgets(string_name, size, stdin);

// Output functions for strings  
printf("%s", string_name);
puts(string_name);

Method 1: Using scanf() and printf()

The scanf() function reads strings until it encounters whitespace, while printf() displays the complete string −

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    char name[30];
    printf("Enter your name: ");
    scanf("%s", name);
    printf("Your name is: %s<br>", name);
    return 0;
}

Enter your name: Lucky
Your name is: Lucky

Note: scanf() stops reading at the first space, so it cannot handle names with spaces like "Lucky Lol".

Method 2: Using fgets() and printf()

The fgets() function can read strings with spaces, making it safer than the deprecated gets() function −

#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>

int main() {
    char name[30];
    printf("Enter your full name: ");
    fgets(name, sizeof(name), stdin);
    
    /* Remove newline if present */
    name[strcspn(name, "<br>")] = '\0';
    
    printf("Your name is: %s<br>", name);
    return 0;
}

Enter your full name: Lucky Lol
Your name is: Lucky Lol

Key Points

• The '&' operator is not used with string names in scanf() because the array name represents the base address.
• scanf() stops reading at whitespace, while fgets() reads entire lines including spaces.
• The null terminator '\0' is automatically added by the compiler at the end of strings.
• fgets() is safer than gets() as it prevents buffer overflow by limiting input size.

Comparison

Conclusion

For string input in C, use fgets() for safer input handling, especially when dealing with strings containing spaces. Always ensure proper buffer size management to prevent overflow.