Input & Output (ns_io)

In standard C, interacting with the terminal is a minefield.

Functions like printf and scanf rely on format strings (e.g., %d, %s, %f). If you accidentally mismatch the format specifier with the actual variable type, the compiler often won’t stop you. At best, you print garbage memory to the screen. At worst, you introduce severe security vulnerabilities (like Format String Attacks) or trigger buffer overflows that crash your entire system.

Furthermore, scanf is notorious for leaving dangling newlines in the input buffer, causing subsequent reads to randomly skip or fail.

The NextStd Approach

NextStd completely eliminates format strings from your codebase.

By leveraging C11’s powerful _Generic keyword, the ns_io module inspects your variables at compile time. It automatically routes your data to the correct, memory-safe Rust backend function.

If you try to print or read a data type that the library doesn’t support, your code simply won’t compile—catching the error before the program ever runs.

What’s in this chapter?

This chapter covers how to safely interact with the terminal without ever typing a % symbol again:

• Safe Printing (ns_print): Learn how to output text and variables to the console seamlessly.
• Safe Reading (ns_read): Discover how to take user input safely, without worrying about buffer overflows, invalid data types, or leftover newlines.
• Terminal Colors: Make your CLI applications beautiful with cross-platform, macro-driven terminal colors and styles.

With ns_io, you get the convenience and safety of a high-level language’s print() and input() functions, running at the blistering speed of native C.