Lesson plan
Printf
is a C standard library function and is also a Linux terminal (shell) command that formats text and writes it to standard output. The function accepts a format C-string argument and a variable number of value arguments that the function serializes per the format string. Mismatch between the format specifiers and count and type of values results in undefined behavior, and the program might crash or vulnerabilities may arise. The format string is encoded as a template language consisting of verbatim text and format specifiers that each specify how to serialize a value. As the format string is processed left-to-right, a subsequent value is used for each format specifier found. A format specifier starts with a character and has one or more following characters that specify how to serialize a value. The standard library provides other, similar functions that form a family of printf-like functions. The functions share the same formatting capabilities but provide different behavior such as output to a different destination or safety measures that limit exposure to vulnerabilities. Functions of the printf-family have been implemented in other computer programming contexts (i.e., programming languages) with the same or similar syntax and semantics. The C standard library function complements printf by providing formatted input (a.k.a. lexing, a.k.a.…
Article summary
is a C standard library function and is also a Linux terminal (shell) command that formats text and writes it to standard output. The function accepts a format C-string argument and a variable number of value arguments that the function serializes per the format string. Mismatch between the format specifiers and count and type of values results in undefined behavior, and the program might crash or vulnerabilities may arise. The format string is encoded as a template language consisting of verbatim text and format specifiers that each specify how to serialize a value. As the format string is processed left-to-right, a subsequent value is used for each format specifier found. A format specifier starts with a character and has one or more following characters that specify how to serialize a value. The standard library provides other, similar functions that form a family of printf-like functions. The functions share the same formatting capabilities but provide different behavior such as output to a different destination or safety measures that limit exposure to vulnerabilities. Functions of the printf-family have been implemented in other computer programming contexts (i.e., programming languages) with the same or similar syntax and semantics. The C standard library function complements printf by providing formatted input (a.k.a. lexing, a.k.a.…
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.