using printf to print out floating values

#include<stdio.h>
#include<stdlib.h>

int main(void)
{
  int x, *ptr_x;
  float f , *ptr_f;

  ptr_f = &f;
  ptr_x = &x;
  *ptr_x = 5;
  *ptr_f = 1.5; //printf("%d %f\n", f,x);

  printf ("\n\nxd = %d \t xf = %f \n ff = %f \t fd = %d", x,x,f,f);
  return 0;
}

The output for ff = %f is not expected.

xd = 5 xf = 0.000000
ff = 0.000000 fd = 1073217536

The point of the this code is to show what would happen if a floating value is printed with %d and if a int value is printed %f.

Why is the float value not being printed properly even if i use %f ?

Solution 1:

printf() is not typesafe.

The arguments that you pass to printf() are treated according to what you promise the compiler.

Also, floats are promoted to doubles when passed through variadic arguments.

So when you promise the compiler %f the first time (for xf), the compiler gobbles up an entire double (usually 8 byte) from the arguments, swallowing your float in the process. Then the second %f cuts right into the zero mantissa of the second double.

Here's a picture of your arguments:

+-0-1-2-3-+-0-1-2-3-+-0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-+-0-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-+
|    x    |    x    |        f        |        f        |
+---------+---------+-----------------+-----------------+

%d--------|%f----------------|%f---------------|%d------|

But f looks like this (having been promoted to double):

f = 3FF8000000000000

Let's draw it again with values, and speculating about your machine endianness:

| 05000000 | 05000000 | 00000000 0000F83F | 00000000 0000F83F |
| %d, OK   | %f, denormal...    | %f, denormal...   | %d, OK  |

Note that 1073217536 is 0x3FF80000.

Solution 2:

Once you pass at least one invalid format specifier to printf (like attempt to print a float value with %d or an int value with %f) your entire program gets screwed up beyond repair. The consequences of such destructive action can be seen anywhere in the program. In your case an attempt to print something with an invalid format specifier resulted in that even the valid format specifiers stopped working.

Speaking formally, you wrote a program that exhibits undefined behavior. It can act absolutely unpredictably. You said it yourself

The point of the this code is to show what would happen if a floating value is printed with %d and if a int value is printed %f.

The broken behavior that you observe demonstrates exactly that! A bizarrely and unpredictably acting program is exactly what happens when you attempt to do something like that.