How to Read Float Input from Console in Go

Go – Read Float Input from Console

In this tutorial, we will learn how to read float input from the console in the Go programming language (Golang). Accepting floating-point input from the user is a common task in programs that require numerical computation. We’ll explore how to use the fmt.Scan function and provide a detailed example program.

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Syntax to Read Float Input

The basic syntax to read a float input in Go is:

fmt.Scan(&variable)

Here, variable is a float variable where the input from the console will be stored. The ampersand (&) is used to pass the memory address of the variable to the Scan function.

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Example 1: Program to Read Float Input from Console

In this example, we will read a floating point number from console input, and print the same to output.

Program – example.go

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    // Declare a float variable to hold user input
    var input float64

    // Prompt the user
    fmt.Print("Enter a floating-point number: ")

    // Read input from the console
    fmt.Scan(&input)

    // Print the input back to the console
    fmt.Println("You entered:", input)
}

Explanation of Program

1. Declare a Variable: A variable of type float64 is declared to store the user input.
2. Prompt the User: The fmt.Print function is used to display a message prompting the user to enter a floating-point number.
3. Read the Input: The fmt.Scan function reads the input typed by the user and stores it in the variable. The & operator is used to pass the address of the variable.
4. Print the Input: The entered floating-point number is printed back to the console using the fmt.Println function.

Output

This example demonstrates how to read a floating-point input from the user via the console and display it back.

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Example 2: Read Multiple Float Inputs from Console

To read multiple float inputs in a single line, you can use the fmt.Scan function with multiple variables. Here’s an example:

Program – example.go

package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    // Declare variables to hold user input
    var num1, num2 float64

    // Prompt the user
    fmt.Print("Enter two floating-point numbers separated by space: ")

    // Read input from the console
    fmt.Scan(&num1, &num2)

    // Print the inputs back to the console
    fmt.Println("You entered:", num1, "and", num2)

    // Print their sum
    fmt.Println("Sum:", num1 + num2)
}

1. Declare Variables: Two float variables, num1 and num2, are declared.
2. Prompt the User: The program prompts the user to enter two floating-point numbers separated by a space.
3. Read Inputs: The fmt.Scan function reads the inputs and stores them in the respective variables.
4. Print the Inputs: The entered floating-point numbers are displayed back to the console.

Output

This example demonstrates how to read multiple floating-point inputs from a single input line.