SNPRINTF(3POSIX)

💖 SNPRINTF(3POSIX) — the POSIX Programmer's Manual, bestie edition 💖

okay so real talk, this one lives in the POSIX Programmer's Manual — that's the manual name, we're keeping it. Let's get into it ✨

🌸 PROLOG 🌸

okay before literally anything else, the fine print, and it matters:

This manual page is part of the POSIX Programmer's Manual. The Linux implementation of this interface may differ (consult the corresponding Linux manual page for details of Linux behavior), or the interface may not be implemented on Linux.

tl;dr: POSIX is the vibe, but Linux might do its own thing. If you're on Linux, go read the Linux man page too. And sometimes the interface just… isn't there. 🙈 Not on Linux at all. Don't come for me, I'm just the messenger.

👑 NAME 👑

snprintf — print formatted output

yes bestie, that's the whole name section. short. iconic. main character energy. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <stdio.h>

int snprintf(char *restrict s, size_t n,
    const char *restrict format, ...);

so you're pulling in <stdio.h> (obviously), and then there's this function. restrict twice, size_t n, and then ... because it's one of those variadic girlies — it takes as many extra args as format demands. 🎀

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Refer to fprintf().

that's it. that's the description. no notes. the POSIX girlies really said "go read fprintf()" and honestly? valid. everything you need to know about the formatting behaviour is over there. 🫶

🎀 COPYRIGHT 🎀

okay now the legal era, and I need you to actually read this one because it's not vibes, it's binding:

Portions of this text are reprinted and reproduced in electronic form from IEEE Std 1003.1-2017, Standard for Information Technology -- Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX), The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 7, 2018 Edition, Copyright (C) 2018 by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc and The Open Group. In the event of any discrepancy between this version and the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard, the original IEEE and The Open Group Standard is the referee document. The original Standard can be obtained online at http://www.opengroup.org/unix/online.html .

fr fr: if this page and the official standard ever disagree, the official standard wins. periodt. the standard is the referee, this page is just a fan account. 💀

Any typographical or formatting errors that appear in this page are most likely to have been introduced during the conversion of the source files to man page format. To report such errors, see https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/reporting_bugs.html .

iykyk: if something looks cursed in here, it's probably a formatting glitch from the man-page conversion, not a real technical claim. Report it at the link above and let the maintainers cook. 🔥

and that's the page bestie!! this one came to you straight from IEEE/The Open Group, 2017 — SNPRINTF(3POSIX), that's the manual and the date, mwah 💜 go forth and format responsibly ✨🍓