Printing Text in TARGET - How to use printf() and sprintf()

[Drakoz]

How to print text to the TARGET console (printf), or into a string buffer (sprintf). This is in response to a question someone asked me, so I thought I would post here as it is generally useful to know.

 

For more details than explained here, internet search on printf() and sprintf() for C Programming. Below I explain these functions specifically related to TARGET.

 

The basic concept is to print a quoted string and include % format specifiers in the string to represent variables you want to print. For example below, we print an integer, vout, using %d. Note how the main text is written out between " ", the %d is included inside the quoted text, and the variable(s) to print are listed after the quoted text as a comma separated list.

 

int vout = 25;

printf(“Text to be printed: %d\xa”, vout);

 

Prints the following to the TARGET Console window:

Text to be printed: 25

 

In normal C, you would use the escape code \n for a newline or \t for a tab over, but in TARGET, we have to insert the ASCII code for a newline, which is 0x0A (hexadecimal, or 10 decimal). Hence we use \xa on the end of the quoted text to do a new line. To tab over we have to use \x9 for the ASCII 9 or TAB character. Go here (https://www.asciitable.com/) to see the full ASCII table. The only ASCII codes I have used in TARGET are \xa and \x9.

 

Here are all the % format specifiers I have tested in TARGET. Others may be work, but not all the C printf() % format specifiers are supported in TARGET.

%d – decimal integer

%u – unsigned decimal integer

%x – hexadecimal

%f – floating point (e.g. %0.1f prints xx.x)

%c – char

%s – string

 

Does not work

%b - binary

 

sprintf() works the same except that instead of printing to the TARGET console, sprintf() "prints" into a string referenced by an alias. So here is an example of sprintf():

 

int vout = 25;

char mystring; Dim(&mystring, 256);

sprintf(&mystring, "Text to be printed: %d\xa”, vout);

 

Sets &mystring to reference the following text: "Text to be printed: 25"

 

Here are several examples:

 

include "target.tmh"

int main()
{
   if(Init(&EventHandle)) return 1;

   int var1 = 1;
   int var2 = 2;
   int var3 = 3;
   float float1 = 1.234;
   float float2 = 0.1234;
   alias string1="This is my string.";
   int hexordec = 0x1F;      // 1F hex = 16 decimal

   printf("Print multiple varaibles:  %d, %d, %d\xa", var1, var2, var3);
   // prints:  
   //  Print multiple varaibles:  1, 2, 3

   printf("This is my float, %0.2f, and this is my integer, %d.\xa", float1, var1);
   // prints:
   //  This is my float, 1.23, and ths is my integer, 1.

   printf("This is a percentage:  %0.1f%%\xa", float2 * 100);
   // prints:
   //  This is a percentage:  12.3%
   //  Note in order to print a %, you must excape the % by using %%.

   printf("Did you know 1 + 1 = %d?  ", 1 + 1);
   printf("But 1 / 1 = 1.  ");
   printf("More importantly, did you notice these 3 printf statements printed on a single line?\xa");
   // prints:
   //  Did you know 1 + 1 = 2?  But 1 / 1 = 1.  More importantly, did you notice these 3 printf statements printed on a single line?

   printf("How do I print a string?  Do this:  %s\xa", &string1);
   // prints:
   //  How do I print a string?  Do this:  This is my string.

   printf("Hex or Decimal?  %x hex = %d deicmal\xa", hexordec, hexordec);
   // prints:
   //  Hex or Decimal?  1f hex = 16 decimal

   // And an sprintf example

   char buffer; Dim(&buffer, 256);  // create a 256 byte buffer for sprintf.
   sprintf(&buffer, "A decimal is %d. A float is %0.2f. And I can add a string like this:  %s", var1, float1, &string1);
   printf("%s\xa", &buffer);
   // This is a way you can build a string variable (&buffer) with text and results from variables.
   // Then I print it out using a simple printf() and we get this:
   //  A decimal is 1. A float is 1.23. And I can add a string like this:  This is my string.

}

int EventHandle(int type, alias o, int x)
{
   DefaultMapping(&o, x);
}

[SGT Coyle]

Awesome!

Thanks for that explanation. I cold never find what the "/xa" was for.

[Lange_666]

Bookmarked!

[Rave]

Text color

 

How would i go about changing the text color? I tried using the C programming language and it does not work or i am doing something wrong. I have no clue on any programming language.:megalol:

[Drakoz]

Using a printf, if the terminal you print to supports ASCII codes to change the color, you would use the \x codes to send the series of ASCII codes to do what you want. But I have seen no sign that the TARGET console has that ability.