Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!oliveb!mipos3!omepd!merlyn
From: merlyn@iwarp.intel.com (Randal Schwartz)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: printf() with vector arguments.
Keywords: printf()
Message-ID: <5066@omepd.UUCP>
Date: 16 Oct 89 22:24:45 GMT
References: <23078@sequent.UUCP>
Sender: news@omepd.UUCP
Reply-To: merlyn@iwarp.intel.com (Randal Schwartz)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Stonehenge; netaccess via Intel, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
Lines: 45
In-reply-to: paulr@sequent.UUCP (Paul Reger)

In article <23078@sequent.UUCP>, paulr@sequent (Paul Reger) writes:
| 
| I was wondering if there exists such a beast as:
| 
| void vec_printf(char *fmt,void *args[]);
| 
| (as opposed to what we're all familiar with: void printf(char *fmt, ...);)
| 
| Such a thing would be useful for a tool that can be used with any
| shell - call it shell_printf.  This would have the synopsis:
| 
| shell_printf fmt [arg1 [arg2 [arg3 ... [argn]]]]
| 
| and its purpose would be to format and print out its arguments to
| stdout in the exact same manner as printf() does.  Such a tool would
| be useful for output in shell scripts. For example:
| 
| shell_printf "There are %9d dogs, weighing %9g pounds, and my son's name is '%s'.\n\n\n" 100 12.23 Eric
| 
| which would print out to stdout:
| 
| ``
| There are       100 dogs, weighing     12.23 punds, and my son's name is 'Eric'.
| 
| 
| ''
| 
| Without the vec_printf() routine, such a tool would be hard to do.

In Perl:

perl -e 'printf "There are %9d dogs, weighing %9g pounds, and my son'\''s name is '\''%s'\''.\n\n\n",@ARGV; exit 0;' 100 12.23 Eric

generates:
There are       100 dogs, weighing     12.23 pounds, and my son's name is 'Eric'.


Close enough?

Just another Perl hacker,
-- 
/== Randal L. Schwartz, Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095 ====\
| on contract to Intel's iWarp project, Hillsboro, Oregon, USA, Sol III  |
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