Last Updated : 29 Aug, 2024
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In thisC Tutorial, you’ll learn all C programming basic to advanced concepts like variables, arrays, pointers, strings, loops, etc. This C Programming Tutorial is designed for both beginners as well as experienced professionals, who’re looking to learn and enhance their knowledge of the C programming language.
What is C?
C is a general-purpose, procedural, high-level programming language used in the development of computer software and applications, system programming, games, and more.
- C language was developed byDennis M. Ritchieat the Bell Telephone Laboratories in1972.
- It is a powerful and flexible language which was first developed for the programming of theUNIX operating System.
- C is one of the most widely used programming languages.
C programming languageis known for its simplicity and efficiency. It is the best choice to start with programming as it gives you a foundational understanding of programming.
Getting Started With C Tutorial
Start your coding adventure with our free C Tutorial. A perfect C programming tutorial for beginners and advanced coders alike, this tutorial is your key to unlocking the magic of C programming. With clear explanations and fun examples.
Table of Content
- C Basics
- C Variables and Constants
- C Data Types
- C Input/Output
- C Operators
- CControl Statements Decision-Making
- C Functions
- C Pointers
- C User-Defined Data Types
- C Storage Classes
- C Memory Management
- C Preprocessor
- C File Handling
- C Error Handling
- C Programs
- Miscellaneous
- C Interview Questions
C Basics
- C Language Introduction
- Features of C Programming Language
- C Programming Language Standard
- Setting Up C Development Environment
- C Hello World Program
- Compiling a C Program: Behind the Scenes
- C Comments
- Tokens in C
- C Identifiers
- Keywords in C
C Variables and Constants
- C Variables
- Constants in C
- Const Qualifier in C
- Different Ways to Declare Variable as Constant in C
- Scope Rules in C
- Internal Linkage and External Linkage in C
- Global Variables in C
C Data Types
- Data Types in C
- Data Type Modifiers in C
- Literals in C
- Escape Sequence in C
- bool in C
- Integer Promotions in C
- Character Arithmetic in C
- Type Conversion in C
C Input/Output
- Basic Input and Output in C
- Format Specifiers in C
- printf in C
- scanf in C
- Scansets in C
- Formatted and Unformatted Input and Output Functions
C Operators
- Operators in C
- Arithmetic Operators in C
- Unary Operators in C
- Relational Operators in C
- Bitwise Operators in C
- Logical Operators in C
- Assignment Operators in C
- Increment and Decrement Operators in C
- Conditional or Ternary Operator (?:) in C
- size of Operator in C
- Operator Precedence and Associativity in C
CControl Statements Decision-Making
- Decision-Making in C
- C if Statement
- C if…else Statement
- C if-else-if Ladder
- Switch Statement in C
- Using Range in switch case in C
- Loops in C
- C for Loop
- while looping in C
- do…while Loop in C
- for versus while Loop
- continue Statement in C
- break Statement in C
- goto Statement in C
C Functions
- C Functions
- User-Defined Function in C
- Parameter Passing Techniques in C
- Importance of Function Prototype in C
- Return Multiple Values From a Function
- main Function in C
- Implicit Return Type int in C
- Callbacks in C
- Nested Functions in C
- Variadic functions in C
- _Noreturn Function Specifier in C
- Predefined Identifier __func__ in C
- Maths Functions in C
C Arrays & Strings
- C Arrays
- Properties of Array in C
- Multidimensional Arrays in C
- Initialization of Multidimensional Arrays in C
- Pass Array to Functions in C
- Pass a 2D Array as a Parameter in C
- Data Types for Which Array is Not Possible
- Pass an Array by Value in C
- Strings in C
- An Array of Strings in C
- Difference Between Single Quoted and Double Quoted Initialization
- String Functions in C
C Pointers
- C Pointers
- Pointer Arithmetics in C
- Pointer to Pointer (Double Pointer) in C
- Function Pointer in C
- Declare Function Pointer in C
- Pointer to an Array in C
- Constant Pointer in C
- Pointer vs Array in C
- Dangling, Void, Null and Wild Pointers
- Near, Far and Huge Pointers in C
- restrict Keyword in C
C User-Defined Data Types
- C Structures
- dot (.) Operator in C
- C typedef
- Structure Member Alignment, Padding and Data Packing
- Flexible Array Members in a Structure in C
- C Unions
- Bit Fields in C
- Difference Between Structure and Union in C
- Anonymous Union and Structure in C
- Enumeration (or enum) in C
C Storage Classes
- Storage Classes in C
- extern Keyword in C
- Static Variables in C
- Initialization of Static Variables in C
- Static Functions in C
- Understanding “volatile” Qualifier in C
- Understanding the “register” Keyword in C
C Memory Management
- Memory Layout of C Programs
- Dynamic Memory Allocation in C
- Difference Between malloc() and calloc()
- What is a Memory Leak?
- Dynamic Array in C
- Dynamically Allocate a 2D Array in C
- Dynamically Growing Array in C
C Preprocessor
- C Preprocessors
- C Preprocessor Directives
- How a Preprocessor Works in C?
- Header Files in C
- Difference Between Header Files “stdio.h” and “stdlib.h”
- Write Your Own Header File in C
- Macros and their Types in C
- Interesting Facts About Macros and Preprocessors in C
- # and ## Operators in C
- Print a Variable Name in C
- Multiline Macros in C
- Variable Length Arguments for Macros
- Branch Prediction Macros in GCC
- typedef versus #define in C
- Difference Between #define and const in C
C File Handling
- Basics of File Handling in C
- C fopen() Function
- EOF, getc() and feof() in C
- fgets() and gets() in C
- fseek() vs rewind() in C
- Return Type of getchar(), fgetc() and getc()
- Read/Write Structure From/to a File in C
- C Program to Print Contents of File
- C Program to Delete a File
- C Program to Merge Contents of Two Files into a Third File
- Difference Between printf, sprintf and fprintf
- Difference Between getc(), getchar(), getch() and getche()
C Error Handling
- Error Handling in C
- Using goto for Exception Handling in C
- Error Handling During File Operations in C
- C Program to Handle Divide By Zero and Multiple Exceptions
C Programs
- Basic C Programs
- Control Flow Programs
- Pattern Printing Programs
- Functions Programs
- Arrays Programs
- Strings Programs
- Conversions Programs
- Pointers Programs
- Structures and Unions Programs
- File I/O Programs
- Date and Time Programs
- More C Programs
Miscellaneous
- Date and Time in C
- Input-output system calls in C
- Signals in C
- Program Error Signals in C
- Socket Programming in C
- _Generics Keyword in C
- Multithreading in C
C Interview Questions
- Top 50 C Programming Interview Questions and Answers
- Commonly Asked C Programming Interview Questions | Set 1
- Commonly Asked C Programming Interview Questions | Set 2
- Commonly Asked C Programming Interview Questions | Set 3
Why Learn C?
C programming language is one of the most popular programming language. It is a must learn for software engineering students. C is called the mother of all modern programming languages so learning C will help you to learn other languages easily like Java, C++, C#, Python, etc. C language is faster than other programming languages like Java and Python. It can handle low-level programming and we can compile the C code in a variety of computer platforms.
List of somekey advantages of C language:
- Easy to learn.
- Versatile Language, which can be used in both applications and technologies.
- Mid-Level Programming Language.
- Structured Programming Language.
C Compiler
C compiler is a software that translates human-readable C language code into machine code or an intermediate code that can be executed by a computer’s central processing unit (CPU).
There are manyC compilersavailable in the market, such asGNU Compiler Collection (GCC),Microsoft Visual C++ Compiler,Clang,Intel C++ Compiler, andTinyCC (TCC).
For this tutorial, we will be using the GNU-based online C compiler provided by GeeksforGeeks which is developed for beginners and is very easy to use compared to other compiler/IDE’s available on the web.
Print Hello World using C Programming
#include <stdio.h> int main() {printf("Hello World! I Don't Give a Bug");return 0;}
Output
Hello World! I Don't Give a Bug
“Give this C code a try, and here’s a fun challenge: print ‘Hello World’ along with your name!”
Features of C Language
There are some key features of C language that show the ability and power of C language:
- Simplicity and Efficiency:The simple syntax and structured approach make the C language easy to learn.
- Fast Speed:C is one of the fastest programming language because C is a static programming language, which is faster than dynamic languages like Javascript and Python. C is also a compiler-based which is the reason for faster code compilation and execution.
- Portable:C provides the feature that you write code once and run it anywhere on any computer. It shows the machine-independent nature of the C language.
- Memory Management:C provides lower level memory management using pointers and functions like realloc(), free(), etc.
- Pointers:C comes with pointers. Through pointers, we can directly access or interact with the memory. We can initialize a pointer as an array, variables, etc.
- Structured Language:C provides the features of structural programming that allows you to code into different parts using functions which can be stored as libraries for reusability.
Applications of C Language
C was used in programs that were used in making operating systems. C was known as a system development language because the code written in C runs as fast as the code written in assembly language.
The use of C is given below:
- Operating Systems
- Language Compilers
- Assemblers
- Text Editors
- Print Spoolers
- Network Drivers
- Modern Programs
- Databases
- Language Interpreters
- Utilities
FAQs on C Language
Q1. How to learn C easily?
Answer:
The first steps towards learning C or any language are to write a hello world program. It gives the understanding of how to write and execute a code. After this, learn the following:
- Variables
- Operators
- Conditionals
- Loops and Errors
- Arrays and Strings
- Pointers and Memory
- Functions
- Structures
- Recursions
Q2. Difference between C and C++?
Answer:
C | CPP |
---|---|
C is a procedural programming language. | C++ is both a procedural and object-oriented programming language. |
It does not support Function overloading. | It supports function overloading. |
Operator overloading is not supported. | Operator overloading is supported. |
C does not support data hiding which leads to security concerns. | Data hiding is supported in C++ by Data Encapsulation. |
Q3. Is C easy to learn for beginners?
Answer:
While C is one of the easy languages, it is still a good first language choice to start with because almost all programming languages are implemented in it. It means that once you learn C language, it’ll be easy to learn more languages like C++, Java, and C#.
Q4. Why should we learn C first rather than C++?
Answer:
C is a ‘mother of all languages.’ It provides a solid understanding of fundamental programming concepts and is considered easier to grasp. C offers versatile applications, from software development to game programming, making it an excellent choice for building a strong programming foundation.
Next Article
C Language Introduction