Overview of C Programming Language

C Programming Language Overview

• C is a general-purpose, procedural computer programming language supporting structured programming, lexical variable scope, and recursion.
• Developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the early 1970s.
• Widely used for system programming, application development, and embedded systems.
• Popular due to efficiency, portability, and close hardware interaction.

Fundamental Data Types in C

• int: Represents integers (whole numbers).
• float: Represents floating-point numbers (numbers with decimal points).
• double: Represents double-precision floating-point numbers (more precise than float).
• char: Represents a single character.
• void: Represents no type; used as a placeholder.

Variables and Data Types

• Variables store data values.
• Declarations give variables names and specify data types.
• Data type declaration format: data_type variable_name;
• Example: int age; declares an integer variable named age.

Operators in C

• Arithmetic Operators: +, -, *, /, % (modulo) - perform basic arithmetic.
• Relational Operators: ==, !=, >, <, >=, <= - compare values and produce boolean results.
• Logical Operators: && (AND), || (OR), ! (NOT) - combine or negate boolean expressions.
• Assignment Operators: =, +=, -=, *=, /=, %= - assign values.

Control Structures in C

• Conditional statements:

  • if-else statements: execute code conditionally based on a boolean expression.
  • switch statement: allows a variable to be tested against multiple values.

• Looping statements:

  • for loops: repeat a block of code a predetermined number of times.
  • while loops: repeat a block of code as long as a condition is true.
  • do-while loops: repeat a block of code at least once, then loop while a condition is true.

Arrays in C

• Arrays: store multiple values of the same data type in contiguous memory locations.
• Array declaration format: data_type array_name[size];
• Example: int numbers[10]; declares an integer array named numbers that can store 10 integers.

Pointers in C

• Pointers: variables that store memory addresses.
• Pointer declaration: data_type *pointer_name;
• Example: int *ptr; declares a pointer named ptr that can store the address of an integer.

Functions in C

• Functions: reusable blocks of code that perform specific tasks.
• Function declaration (prototype): specifies function's name, return type, and parameters.
• Function definition: provides the actual code for the function.
• Function call: invoke a function to execute its code.
• Return values: provide results back to the caller.

Input/Output (I/O) Operations in C

• Standard Input/Output library (stdio.h): provides functions for performing input and output operations.
• printf(): displays output to the console.
• scanf(): reads input from the console.

Structures in C

• Structures: user-defined data types that group together variables of different data types.
• Structure declaration: defines the structure's members and their data types.
• Structure variables: store values for the members of the structure.

Preprocessor Directives in C

• Preprocessor directives: instructions for the C preprocessor, which modifies the source code before compilation.
• #include: includes header files for function usages/declarations.
• #define: defines macros to replace text in the source code.

Memory Management in C

• Memory allocation: obtaining specific amounts of memory for data.
• malloc(), calloc(), realloc(): functions for dynamic memory allocation.
• free(): releases dynamically allocated memory to prevent memory leaks.

Common C Programming Practices

• Use meaningful variable names for readability.
• Proper indentation and code formatting for structure.
• Comment code to explain its purpose and functionality.
• Thorough testing to identify and fix bugs.
• Follow best practices for error handling.

Key Concepts Summarized

• Data types: fundamental building blocks of C programs (integers, floating-point numbers, characters).
• Operators: perform operations on data.
• Control flow: if, switch, for, while, do-while statements for program control.
• Arrays: store collections of the same data type.
• Pointers: store memory addresses.
• Functions: reusable code blocks.
• Structures: user-defined composite data types.
• Input/Output: printf, scanf for standard input/output.

Error Handling

• Programming error detection and recovery.
• Robust error messages.
• Early error detection.