_snprintf_s, _snprintf_s_l, _snwprintf_s, _snwprintf_s_l

Writes formatted data to a string. These functions are versions of snprintf, _snprintf, _snprintf_l, _snwprintf, _snwprintf_l with security enhancements described in Security features in the CRT.

Syntax

int _snprintf_s(
   char *buffer,
   size_t sizeOfBuffer,
   size_t count,
   const char *format [,
   argument] ...
);

int _snprintf_s_l(
   char *buffer,
   size_t sizeOfBuffer,
   size_t count,
   const char *format,
   _locale_t locale [,
   argument] ...
);

int _snwprintf_s(
   wchar_t *buffer,
   size_t sizeOfBuffer,
   size_t count,
   const wchar_t *format [,
   argument] ...
);

int _snwprintf_s_l(
   wchar_t *buffer,
   size_t sizeOfBuffer,
   size_t count,
   const wchar_t *format,
   _locale_t locale [,
   argument] ...
);

template <size_t size>
int _snprintf_s(
   char (&buffer)[size],
   size_t count,
   const char *format [,
   argument] ...
); // C++ only

template <size_t size>
int _snwprintf_s(
   wchar_t (&buffer)[size],
   size_t count,
   const wchar_t *format [,
   argument] ...
); // C++ only

Parameters

buffer
Storage location for the output.

sizeOfBuffer
The size of the storage location for output. Size in bytes for the functions that take char, and words for those that take wchar_t.

count
Maximum number of characters to write. For the functions that take wchar_t, it's the maximum number of wide characters to write. Or _TRUNCATE.

format
Format-control string.

argument
Optional arguments.

locale
The locale to use.

Return value

The number of characters written, not including the terminating NULL. A negative value is returned if an output error occurs. See Behavior summary for details.

Remarks

The _snprintf_s function formats and stores count or fewer characters in buffer and appends a terminating NULL. Each argument (if any) is converted and output according to the corresponding format specification in format. The formatting is consistent with the printf family of functions; see Format specification syntax: printf and wprintf functions. If copying occurs between strings that overlap, the behavior is undefined.

Behavior summary

For the following table:

-Let len be the size of the formatted data. If the function takes a char buffer, the size is in bytes. If the function takes a wchar_t buffer, the size specifies the number of 16-bit words.

• Characters refer to char characters for functions that take a char buffer, and to wchar_t characters for functions that take a wchar_t buffer.
• For more information about the invalid parameter handler, see Parameter Validation.

For information about these and other error codes, see _doserrno, errno, _sys_errlist, and _sys_nerr.

_snwprintf_s is a wide-character version of _snprintf_s; the pointer arguments to _snwprintf_s are wide-character strings. Detection of encoding errors in _snwprintf_s might differ from that in _snprintf_s. _snwprintf_s, like swprintf_s, writes output to a string rather than to a destination of type FILE.

The versions of these functions with the _l suffix are identical except that they use the locale parameter passed in instead of the current thread locale.

In C++, using these functions is simplified by template overloads; the overloads can infer buffer length automatically (eliminating the need to specify a size argument) and they can automatically replace older, non-secure functions with their newer, secure counterparts. For more information, see Secure template overloads.

Generic-text routine mappings

Requirements

For more compatibility information, see Compatibility.

Example

// crt_snprintf_s.cpp
// compile with: /MTd

// These #defines enable secure template overloads
// (see last part of Examples() below)
#define _CRT_SECURE_CPP_OVERLOAD_STANDARD_NAMES 1
#define _CRT_SECURE_CPP_OVERLOAD_STANDARD_NAMES_COUNT 1

#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <crtdbg.h>  // For _CrtSetReportMode
#include <errno.h>

// This example uses a 10-byte destination buffer.

int snprintf_s_tester( const char * fmt, int x, size_t count )
{
   char dest[10];

   printf( "\n" );

   if ( count == _TRUNCATE )
      printf( "%zd-byte buffer; truncation semantics\n",
               _countof(dest) );
   else
      printf( "count = %zd; %zd-byte buffer\n",
               count, _countof(dest) );

   int ret = _snprintf_s( dest, _countof(dest), count, fmt, x );

   printf( "    new contents of dest: '%s'\n", dest );

   return ret;
}

void Examples()
{
   // formatted output string is 9 characters long: "<<<123>>>"
   snprintf_s_tester( "<<<%d>>>", 121, 8 );
   snprintf_s_tester( "<<<%d>>>", 121, 9 );
   snprintf_s_tester( "<<<%d>>>", 121, 10 );

   printf( "\nDestination buffer too small:\n" );

   snprintf_s_tester( "<<<%d>>>", 1221, 10 );

   printf( "\nTruncation examples:\n" );

   int ret = snprintf_s_tester( "<<<%d>>>", 1221, _TRUNCATE );
   printf( "    truncation %s occur\n", ret == -1 ? "did"
                                                  : "did not" );

   ret = snprintf_s_tester( "<<<%d>>>", 121, _TRUNCATE );
   printf( "    truncation %s occur\n", ret == -1 ? "did"
                                                  : "did not" );
   printf( "\nSecure template overload example:\n" );

   char dest[10];
   _snprintf( dest, 10, "<<<%d>>>", 12321 );
   // With secure template overloads enabled (see #defines
   // at top of file), the preceding line is replaced by
   //    _snprintf_s( dest, _countof(dest), 10, "<<<%d>>>", 12345 );
   // Instead of causing a buffer overrun, _snprintf_s invokes
   // the invalid parameter handler.
   // If secure template overloads were disabled, _snprintf would
   // write 10 characters and overrun the dest buffer.
   printf( "    new contents of dest: '%s'\n", dest );
}

void myInvalidParameterHandler(
   const wchar_t* expression,
   const wchar_t* function,
   const wchar_t* file,
   unsigned int line,
   uintptr_t pReserved)
{
   wprintf(L"Invalid parameter handler invoked: %s\n", expression);
}

int main( void )
{
   _invalid_parameter_handler oldHandler, newHandler;

   newHandler = myInvalidParameterHandler;
   oldHandler = _set_invalid_parameter_handler(newHandler);
   // Disable the message box for assertions.
   _CrtSetReportMode(_CRT_ASSERT, 0);

   Examples();
}

count = 8; 10-byte buffer
    new contents of dest: '<<<121>>'

count = 9; 10-byte buffer
    new contents of dest: '<<<121>>>'

count = 10; 10-byte buffer
    new contents of dest: '<<<121>>>'

Destination buffer too small:

count = 10; 10-byte buffer
Invalid parameter handler invoked: ("Buffer too small", 0)
    new contents of dest: ''

Truncation examples:

10-byte buffer; truncation semantics
    new contents of dest: '<<<1221>>'
    truncation did occur

10-byte buffer; truncation semantics
    new contents of dest: '<<<121>>>'
    truncation did not occur

Secure template overload example:
Invalid parameter handler invoked: ("Buffer too small", 0)
    new contents of dest: ''

See also

Stream I/O
sprintf, _sprintf_l, swprintf, _swprintf_l, __swprintf_l
fprintf, _fprintf_l, fwprintf, _fwprintf_l
printf, _printf_l, wprintf, _wprintf_l
scanf, _scanf_l, wscanf, _wscanf_l
sscanf, _sscanf_l, swscanf, _swscanf_l
vprintf functions