Printf function parameters

Question

#include <stdio.h> int main() { printf(5 + "abhishekdas\n") ; return 0 ; }

The output of the program is hekdas . How is it working? Shouldn't it show error? How is it possible to write something like 5 + "abhishekdas" inside printf function ?

@effeffe i thought that how can one add an int to a string . — abkds
– abkds, Commented Sep 28, 2013 at 11:48
"How is it possible to write something like 5 + "abhishekdas" inside printf function ?" - you take a text editor and type printf(5 + "abhishekdas"). Simple as that. As to why it works: addition is commutative, so 5 + "string" is the same as "string" + 5, which is simple pointer arithmetic. Also, 5["foobarbaz"] works as well, for the same reason. Duplicate hundreds of times. — The Paramagnetic Croissant
– The Paramagnetic Croissant, Commented Jan 10, 2015 at 13:34

P0W · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-28 11:27:46Z

8

5+"abhishekdas\n" ==> "abhishekdas\n"+5 ==> &"abhishekdas\n"[5] ==> "hekdas\n"

edited Sep 28, 2013 at 11:27

answered Sep 28, 2013 at 11:18

P0W

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Comments

ouah · Accepted Answer · 2013-09-28 11:20:20Z

5+"abhishekdas"

is equivalent to &"abhishekdas"[5], which is the adress of the sixth element of the array.

"abhishekdas" is a string literal: its type is an array type. As every array object, when evaluated in an expression it is converted to a pointer type. So 5+"abhishekdas" is simple pointer arithmetic.

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