**printf() function:**

The `printf()` function in PHP is a powerful tool for printing formatted strings. It takes a variable number of arguments and allows you to control the formatting of each argument using format specifiers.

**Syntax:**

“`php
printf(format, arg1, arg2, …);
“`

**Parameters:**

* **format:** The format string that specifies how the arguments should be formatted.
* **arg1, arg2, …:** The values to be formatted and printed.

**Format Specifiers:**

The format string contains special format specifiers that tell `printf()` how to format each argument. Some common format specifiers include:

* **%s:** String
* **%d:** Signed integer
* **%f:** Floating-point number
* **%c:** Character

For example, the following code prints the name and age of a person:

“`php
printf(“Name: %s, Age: %d”, “John”, 30);
“`

This will print the following output:

“`
Name: John, Age: 30
“`

**Formatting Options:**

You can also use format specifiers to control the width, alignment, and precision of each argument. For example, the following code prints the name and age of a person in a fixed-width field of 20 characters, right-aligned:

“`php
printf(“%20s %20d”, “John”, 30);
“`

This will print the following output:

“`
John 30
“`

**Date and Time Formatting:**

The `printf()` function can also be used to format dates and times. For example, the following code prints the current date and time in a specified format:

“`php
printf(“Date: %s, Time: %s”, date(“F j, Y”), date(“g:i a”));
“`

This will print the following output:

“`
Date: March 8, 2023, Time: 12:00 PM
“`

**Conclusion:**

The `printf()` function is a versatile and powerful tool for printing formatted strings in PHP. It provides a wide range of formatting options and can be used to format a variety of data types, including strings, numbers, and dates.