Printf-Style Functions

The functions in this section provide an I/O programming interface very similar to that provided by the familiar printf function. These functions extend the standard ANSI syntax for printf to provide powerful constructs for performing such tasks as converting to and from COM data types, reading and writing IEEE binary blocks, and performing a wide variety of other formatting options.

These printf-style functions, as they are termed, are most useful in cases where several items need to be formatted within an instrument command (or response) at once. Simple commands that involve reading or writing only a single item, such as an integer or floating-point number, might be simpler to implement using the basic I/O functions.