Printing Double Quotes in C
In this article, we will discuss printing double quotes in C with the help of examples.
In C, You need to use an escape sequence to print double quotes. An escape sequence is a combination of characters that represents a special character when it cannot be directly represented in a string or character literal. The escape sequence for a double quote is \".
Example:
Let's take a program to print double quotes without an escape sequence gives the error:
#include<stdio.h>
int main(){
// If we want to print the double quotes without any escape sequence, it throws an error
printf(" have a nice day " ");
}
Output:
![Printing Double Quotes in C](https://static.tutorialandexample.com/c/printing-double-quotes-in-c1.png)
Explanation:
In this example, the code uses the printf() function to display the text "have a nice day" along with double quotes at the beginning and end of the phrase. However, the placement of double quotes is incorrect, resulting in a compilation error.
In C, double quotes are used to denote string literals. When you want to print double quotes as part of the output string itself, you need to use an escape sequence, specifically \", to represent the double quote character.
Example:
Let's take a program for printing the double quote without any errors:
#include<stdio.h>
int main(){
// If we want to print the double quotes without any escape sequence, it throws an error
printf(" \" have a nice day \" ");
}
Output:
![Printing Double Quotes in C](https://static.tutorialandexample.com/c/printing-double-quotes-in-c2.png)
Explanation:
In this example, an escape sequence \" is used to print double quotes as part of the output. It is because double quotes are special characters used to denote string literals in C. If you want to include double quotes as actual characters in the output, you need to use the escape sequence to represent them correctly.
The reason for using escape sequences is to avoid confusion for the C compiler. The double quote character " is used to indicate the start and end of a string in C. If you try to include a double quote within a string without using the escape sequence, the compiler will interpret it as the end of the string literal, leading to a compilation error.
By using the escape sequence \", the compiler understands that the double quote is intended to be part of the string and not the string's delimiter. This way, you can correctly print double quotes as actual characters in the output without causing any errors during compilation.
Example:
Let's take an example to print double quotes in arrays of strings:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char myStrings[3][20] = {
"Hello"
"Double \"quotes\" here",
"Goodbye"
};
for (int i = 0; i< 3; i++) {
printf("%s\n", myStrings[i]);
}
return 0;
}
Output:
![Printing Double Quotes in C](https://static.tutorialandexample.com/c/printing-double-quotes-in-c3.png)
Explanation:
In this example, the code uses a 2D array of characters, commonly known as a "two-dimensional array of strings". Each row of the array stores a separate phrase, and the array can hold up to three phrases of up to 20 characters each.
The phrases stored in the array are:
"Hello"
"Double "quotes" here"
"Goodbye"
The program utilizes a for loop to iterate through the rows of the array and print each phrase on a separate line using the printf() function. Inside the loop, the %s format specifier is used with printf() function to indicate that a string should be printed, and the corresponding element of the 2D array (the phrase) is provided as an argument.
The loop runs three times (from i = 0 to i = 2) because there are three rows in the array, and each time it prints the phrase at the current index i. After printing each phrase, a newline character (\n) is added to move the output to the next line, creating a list of phrases, each on a separate line.
Finally, the return 0; statement indicates the successful termination of the program, and the execution flow returns to the operating system.
Example:
Let's take a program to print double quotes in a particular pattern.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int n=10;
printf("\n");
for (int i = 0; i< n; i++) {
for(int j=0; j < n; j++){
if(i==0 || j==0 || i==n-1 || j==n-1){
printf("\" ");
}else{
printf(" ");
}
}
printf("\n");
}
printf("\n");
return 0;
}
Output:
![Printing Double Quotes in C](https://static.tutorialandexample.com/c/printing-double-quotes-in-c4.png)
Explanation:
The variable n is initialized with a value of 10, representing the size of the square pattern.
The for loop with the variable i is used to control the rows of the pattern. It runs from 0 to n-1, iterating through each row. Within the for loop, there is another nested for loop with the variable j to control the columns of the pattern. It also runs from 0 to n-1, iterating through each column.
The condition if(i==0 || j==0 || i==n-1 || j==n-1) is used to check if the current position is on the border of the square. If it is on the border (i.e., the first row, first column, last row, or last column), the printf() function prints a double quote (") followed by a space. It creates the border of the square.
If the current position is not on the border, the else part of the if statement is executed. In this case, the printf() function prints two empty spaces, creating the empty interior of the square.
After each row is printed, a newline character (\n) is used to move to the next line and start printing the next row. The outer loop repeats the process for each row, resulting in the entire square pattern being displayed. Two newline characters (\n) are used at the end to add some space between the square pattern and the rest of the output.
Finally, the return 0; statement indicates the successful termination of the program, and the execution flow returns to the operating system.