Worse: a troll typed /givecash 0 999999999 – and the server gave cash to (ID 0 is often reserved). Chaos.
new cmd[32], id, cash; if(sscanf(cmdtext, "s[32]dd", cmd, id, cash)) return SendClientMessage(playerid, -1, "Usage: /givecash [ID] [amount]"); if(strcmp(cmd, "/givecash", true) == 0) GivePlayerMoney(id, cash); GivePlayerMoney(playerid, -cash); return 1; samp sscanf
The Day My Roleplay Server Broke (And How sscanf Fixed It) Worse: a troll typed /givecash 0 999999999 –
One night, 35 players online. Alex's manual parsing failed on a single space. The command callback returned 0 (meaning "command not found"), so SAMP thought /givecash was an unknown command. Then another system tried to interpret it, and – . All 35 players disconnected. Alex's manual parsing failed on a single space
Alex learned: Never parse user input manually in SAMP. sscanf isn't just convenient – it's the difference between a hobby server and a reliable one. Every major RP script (like GF edit, YSI, and modern frameworks) depends on it.
He downloaded the plugin ( sscanf.dll on Windows, sscanf.so on Linux) and the include file. He added #include <sscanf2> to his script.
Frustrated, Alex found a forum post: "Use sscanf by ****** – it's like scanf on steroids for pawn."