The following escape sequences can be used to define certain special characters within strings:
| Escape Sequence | Description |
|---|---|
| \' | Single quote |
| \” | Double quote |
| \\ | Backslash |
| \nnn | Octal number (nnn) |
| \0 | Null character (really just the octal number zero) |
| \a | Audible bell |
| \b | Backspace |
| \f | Formfeed |
| \n | Newline |
| \r | Carriage return |
| \t | Horizontal tab |
| \v | Vertical tab |
| \xnnn | Hexadecimal number (nnn) |
An example of this is contained in the following code (which assumes that the newline character generates complete newlines, i.e. on Unix systems):
printf( "This\nis\na\ntest\n\nShe said, \"How are you?\"\n" );
which would display
This
is
a
test
She said, "How are you?"