From: Jeff Pritchard <jp@...>
Date: 2006-06-01T12:35:15+09:00
Subject: Re: A newbie question about scanf

OH!  Now I remember.  Haven't used it in forever.  It uses a format 
string just like printf.  The returned array would be it's best attempt 
to pick out all of the pieces that the format string asked for.  Makes 
sense now.

thanks,
jp


Hal Fulton wrote:
> Jeff Pritchard wrote:
>> As a fellow newbie, let me just say that this splat business is all very 
>> interesting, but I get cornfused one step earlier.  You all seem to 
>> think it is quite ordinary that this scanf method returns an array. 
>> What's up with that?  If it gathers one line of input, why then, 'o why 
>> doesn't it return a string object????
> 
> scanf typically returns multiple objects -- it reads a string and
> returns strings, integers, floats, whatever.
> 
> The case where you're only reading one item is the oddball
> case. I guess it would be possible to just "return the item" --
> but it's more natural to return an array always.
> 
> Hal


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