C Escape Sequences

In C programming, escape sequences are special sequences of characters that are used to represent characters that cannot be easily typed or displayed directly in a string. They are preceded by a backslash \ character and are often used within string literals. Escape sequences allow you to include characters like newline, tab, or special symbols in your strings. Here are some common C escape sequences:

1. '\n': Newline

Represents a newline character. When used in a string, it moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line.
Example:


printf("Hello,\nworld!");

Output:


Hello,
world!
2. '\t': Tab

Represents a horizontal tab character. It adds whitespace to align text.
Example:


printf("Name:\tJohn");

Output:


Name:   John
3. '\\': Backslash

Represents a literal backslash character.
Example:


printf("This is a backslash: \\");

Output:


This is a backslash: \
4. '\"': Double Quote

Represents a literal double-quote character within a double-quoted string.
Example:


printf("She said, \"Hello!\"");

Output:


She said, "Hello!"
5. '\b': Backspace

Represents a backspace character, which moves the cursor one position to the left.
Example:


printf("Hello,\b world!");

Output:


Hell, world!
6. '\r': Carriage Return

Represents a carriage return character, which moves the cursor to the beginning of the current line.
Example:


printf("Overwritten text\rNew text");

Output:


New textitten text
7. '\a': Alert or Bell

Generates an audible or visible alert, often a system beep.
Example:


printf("Beep: \a");

Output: (Produces an audible beep)

8. '\0': Null Character

Represents the null character, which is used as a string terminator.
Example:


char message[] = "Hello\0world";
printf("%s", message);

Output:


Hello

These escape sequences are essential for representing special characters and controlling the formatting of text within strings in C programs. They allow you to create more meaningful and structured output.