Current Location: Home> Latest Articles> In-Depth Guide to PHP's vsprintf() Function and Its Usage

In-Depth Guide to PHP's vsprintf() Function and Its Usage

M66 2025-06-15

Detailed Explanation of PHP's vsprintf() Function

In PHP, the `vsprintf()` function is used to format strings and return the formatted result. This function is particularly useful when you need to output multiple variables based on a specified format. In this article, we will cover the syntax, parameters, and commonly used format specifiers of vsprintf(), along with practical code examples to help developers better understand and use this function.

Syntax

vsprintf(format, argarray)

Parameters

  • format - A string containing format specifiers that define how the arguments should be formatted.
  • argarray - An array containing the values to be inserted into the format string at the corresponding placeholders.

Format Specifiers

In the `format` string, several format specifiers can be used. Below are the most commonly used ones:

  • %% - Outputs a percent sign.
  • %b - Outputs a binary number.
  • %c - Converts a character to its ASCII value.
  • %d - Outputs a signed decimal number.
  • %e - Outputs a number in scientific notation using lowercase letters.
  • %E - Outputs a number in scientific notation using uppercase letters.
  • %u - Outputs an unsigned decimal number.
  • %f - Outputs a floating-point number (locale-aware).
  • %F - Outputs a floating-point number (locale-unaware).
  • %g - Outputs the shorter of %f or %e format.
  • %G - Outputs the shorter of %F or %E format.
  • %o - Outputs an octal number.
  • %s - Outputs a string.
  • %x - Outputs a hexadecimal number with lowercase letters.
  • %X - Outputs a hexadecimal number with uppercase letters.

Return Value

The `vsprintf()` function returns a formatted string based on the provided format.

Example

Here is a simple example using the `vsprintf()` function:


<?php
$a = 6567;
$b = 8976;
$res = vsprintf("%f %f", array($a, $b));
echo $res;
?>

Output


6567.000000 8976.000000

In the example above, we can see that the `vsprintf()` function formats the two variables as floating-point numbers according to the specified format.

Conclusion

The `vsprintf()` function is a very useful PHP function for formatting strings. Whether you are outputting debugging information or generating dynamic HTML content, `vsprintf()` simplifies the code and improves readability.

Related