The following escape sequences can be used to define certain special characters within strings:
| Escape Sequence | Description | 
|---|---|
| %% | Percent sign | 
| \' | Single quote | 
| \” | Double quote | 
| \\ | Backslash | 
| \nnn | Octal number (nnn) | 
| \0 | Null character (really just the octal number zero) | 
| \a | Audible bell | 
| \b | Backspace | 
| \f | Formfeed | 
| \n | Newline | 
| \r | Carriage return | 
| \t | Horizontal tab | 
| \v | Vertical tab | 
| \xnnn | Hexadecimal number (nnn) | 
An example of this is contained in the following code (which assumes that the newline character generates complete newlines, i.e. on Unix systems):
printf( "This\nis\na\ntest\n\nShe said, \"How are you?\"\n" );
which would display
    This
    is
    a
    test
    She said, "How are you?"