C New Lines
New Lines
To start a new line when printing text, you can use the \n character:
Example
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello World!\n");
printf("I am learning C.");
return 0;
}
Try it Yourself »
You can also print multiple lines using a single printf() function.
However, this could make the code harder to read:
Example
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello World!\nI
am learning C.\nAnd it is awesome!");
return 0;
}
Try it Yourself »
Tip: Two \n characters in a row will create a blank line:
Example
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello World!\n\n");
printf("I am learning C.");
return 0;
}
Try it Yourself »
What is \n exactly?
\n is called an escape sequence.
Escape sequences start with a backslash and represent special characters that cannot be typed directly.
In this case, \n tells the program to move the cursor to the beginning of the next line.
Here are some other common escape sequences:
| Escape Sequence | Description | Try it |
|---|---|---|
| \t | Inserts a horizontal tab | Try it |
| \\ | Inserts a backslash character (\) | Try it |
| \" | Inserts a double quote character | Try it |
Fun Example: Draw a Pyramid
With a few printf() functions and \n, you can draw pictures in the output. Pictures made of keyboard characters are called ASCII art:
Example
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf(" *\n");
printf(" ***\n");
printf(" *****\n");
printf("*******\n");
return 0;
}Result:
*
***
*****
*******
