How do I read a whole line in C?

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SUMMARY

The discussion addresses the limitation of the C programming language's scanf function, which only captures the first word of user input. To read an entire line of text, the fgets function is recommended as it can read a complete line, including spaces. The provided code snippet demonstrates the use of scanf and highlights its inadequacy for this purpose. Users are encouraged to utilize fgets for improved input handling in their C programs.

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  • Basic understanding of C programming syntax
  • Familiarity with standard input/output functions in C
  • Knowledge of string handling in C
  • Awareness of buffer management in C
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  • Learn how to use fgets for reading strings in C
  • Explore error handling techniques for user input in C
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  • Study the differences between scanf and fgets in detail
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Beginner and intermediate C programmers, educators teaching C programming, and developers looking to improve user input handling in their applications.

Whovian
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Code:
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    char name[256];
    printf("What's your name?\n");
    scanf("%s",name);
    printf("Hello, %s%s",name,"!");
}

This only reads the first word of the name inputted. Is there any way to get a whole line?
 
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gets will read a whole line of text.
 

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