C is a widely-used general-purpose programming language that is easy to learn and use. Dennis Ritchie initially created it for the Unix operating system in 1972. Here we are going to discuss why you should learn C programming and some of the basics of the C programming language you must know.
There are many key characteristics of C Programming Language. It is very easy to understand, it’s capable of doing low-level tasks and it can be compiled on a wide range of computers. Moreover, C Language is used in database management systems, graphics software, the creation of operating systems, compilers and assemblers, network drivers, and more.
What is the C Programming Language?
It’s one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. C is popular because it is a reliable, simple, and easy-to-use language.
Major parts of the popular operating system like Windows, UNIX, Linux, and Android are written in C Programming Language. Dropbox, eBay, and Spotify all use C Programming Language and many popular gaming frameworks are built using C.
When you write a program in C, you must compile it using a C Compiler, which transforms your program into a machine-level language (i.e. binary format) that a computer can understand. As a result, make sure you have a C Compiler on your machine before continuing.
If you’re using Unix or Linux, you can verify the result by typing gcc -v or cc -v.
The following is the basic structure of a C program:
- Preprocessor Commands
- Functions
- Variables
- Expressions & Statements
- Remarks or Comments
The C programming language is used to create the following application. Using the CodeBlocks IDE, create a C project file called hello.c and paste the following lines of code into it and run the code to see the magic.
#include <stdio.h>
int main(){
/* My first c program */
printf("Hello, World! \n");
return 0;
}
When you run the program, the output will be:
Hello, World!Here’s how you can download and install CodeBlocks IDE on Windows 11.
Why You Should Learn C Programming?
If you want to develop computer software and 3D games for a computer then this is the must-learn programming language.
All the major software you see on your computer builds with C Programming Language. Here are some reasons “Why you should learn C Programming?“:
- C makes use of a principle called Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) to organize the program.
- All the popular operating systems (OS) like Windows, Android, Unix, and Linux are written in C.
- To make 3D games C is used. Even popular gaming frameworks like DirectX have been written in C language.
- And it also operates like a machine-level language. So, you’ll be able to learn how a program interacts with hardware.
1. Simplicity and Speed
As C falls under the category of middle-level language, the interaction with the computer system is at near to low level which also makes it very fast than any other virtual machine-based programming language such as JAVA, Python, etc.
In high-level languages such as JAVA, JVM consists of native libraries which are written in C to interact with the hardware system.
2. Efficient Coding
As C deals with pointers which means we also have to de-allocate the memory allocated for the program. C deals with very low-level stuff to interact with the system whereas in high-level languages we have the concept of automatic garbage collection of memory.
It does give an advantage to the programmer to not worry about memory allocation but it isn’t efficient every time.
3. Fewer Distractions
As C is not an object-oriented programming language, for a beginner it will be easy to focus directly on the code rather than the OOP concepts. I am not trying to create an image that an Object-oriented approach is not important, just for a beginner in programming this will be of less distracting and they can strictly focus on code optimization and other things.
Lastly, I would like to say that coding in C would help you to think from the basic level of the system. We can build a mental model of the computer in which the program has to be coded. And, with the addition of newer drafts of ANSI C, the language is providing much support in different areas of computing be it scientific research to writing the code for maintaining a server. C is the one-stop for all.
Professors and many other programmers suggest that once we get acquainted with the syntax and the basics of C, they should directly jump to C++ for better feasible coding with low-level interactions with the system plus the additional object-oriented styling in C++
We hope that these are the convincing reasons why you should C Programming.
How Does C Programming Work
#include <stdio.h> is a preprocessor command that instructs a C compiler to include the standard input-output header file (stdio.h) file before proceeding to actual compilation.
Functions: Every C program will have one or more functions, with the main() function being the only one that is needed. This function is prefixed with the keyword int, which means that when it exists, it returns an integer value.
The return statement is used to return this integer value. A number of built-in functions are available in the C programming language. printf() is a built-in C feature that prints something to the screen.
Variables: are used to manipulate numbers, strings, and complex data.
Statements and Expressions: Expressions are used to construct new values by combining variables and constants. C programs are made up of statements, which are expressions, assignments, function calls, and control flow statements.
Comments: In a C program, comments are used to provide additional useful information. As seen in the example above, all comments will be contained inside /*…*/. A statement can be several lines long.
Take Note of the Following:
- The programming language C is case-sensitive. printf and Printf would have different definitions in C.
- The line structure of C is free-form. A semicolon must be placed at the end of each C sentence.
- On the same line, several statements may be made.
- White Spaces (such as tab space and the space bar) are not taken into account.
- Statements can be repeated through several lines.
Fundamentals of the C Programming Language
Here in this section, we will discuss some of the fundamentals of the C Programming Language:
1. Keywords
Keywords are reserved words in programming that have a specific meaning for the compiler. They are part of the syntax and can’t be used to identify something. The following are some of the keywords found in the ANSI-C standard:
| auto | continue | else | for | long | signed | unsigned |
| break | do | enum | goto | main | static | void |
| Char | default | extern | if | return | switch | while |
| const | double | float | int | short | type | def |
2. Data Types
The C programming language comes with a predefined set of data types for dealing with various types of data that we can use in our program. It’s possible to categorize it as character, numeric, date, logical, string, and so on.
The C programming language supports both primary (int, float, char, and void) and derived data types (array, structure, pointers).
- A character’s ASCII numeric code is stored by a computer.
- A floating-point number is a number that contains a decimal point.
- For types float and double, the “e” in the range column is a shorthand notation for multiplication by a power of ten; for example, 3.4E-38 to 3.4E+38.
- A byte is typically 8 bits long.
3. Variables
C variable is a named location in memory where data can be manipulated by a program. This location is used to store the variable’s value. In the program, the value of the C variable may change.
C variables can be of any data type, including int, float, and char.
Rules for Naming Variables in C:
- A variable’s name must start with a letter or an underscore(_).
- Variables are case-sensitive.
- They can be made up of digits and letters.
- Except for underscore, no special characters are permitted.
- Variable names include sum, width, and _value.
- Main, while, switch, and other C keywords cannot be used as variable names.
4. Variable Declaration
A variable declaration assures the compiler that a variable of the given type and name exists, allowing the compiler to continue compiling without needing to know all of the details about the variable.
When using multiple files, a variable declaration is useful because you can define your variable in one of the files that will be available when the program is linked. The keyword extern will be used to declare a variable at any time.
A declaration is made up of three parts: the type, the variable name, and a semicolon at the end. For example,
char c;
int i;
float f;
You may also use commas to separate several variables of the same kind in a single declaration:
int i1, i2;
The order in which declarations are placed is crucial. You can’t just put them anywhere in a program. They must be placed immediately after the brace ({}) at the start of the main or user-defined function.
Before you can use a variable, you must declare it. The compiler will immediately know how much storage space is needed and by what name that storage space will be accessed whenever the variable’s value needs to be saved or recalled.
5. Constants
A constant is an attribute or variable in a program that cannot be modified, such as 10, 20, ‘a’, 3.4, “c programming,” and so on.
A character string is made up of a series of keyboard characters. A character string enclosed in quotation marks, such as “Hello World” or “Morning,” is a string constant. 3.142 is a numeric constant, while “3.142” is a string constant, for example.
You can declare constants in C, which are similar to variables except that the value cannot be modified. Constants are declared with the keyword const.
6. Operators and Expressions
Variables, constants, and operators are combined in an expression to perform useful computations. A Numeric expression is any ordinary algebraic expression containing numeric constants and variables. Arithmetic Operator, Assignment Operator, and Relational Operator are the three major categories of operators.
Arithmetic Operators: The arithmetic operators must be used to represent arithmetic operations directly. This is how you can perform simple arithmetic operations in C.
| Operator | Operation | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| + | Addition | p + q |
| – | Subtraction | p – q |
| * | Multiplication | p * q |
| / | Division | p / q |
| % | Modulus | p % q |
Assignment Operator: The assignment operator = gave a variable a value. For instance, x = 1 sets x to 1 and p=q sets p to the value of q.
Relational Operators: The if and switch statements are used to render comparisons and manage the flow of logic in a program using these operators. The following is a list of all relational operators in C:
| Operator | Syntax | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| > | p > q or p > value | If p is greater than q, or if any of the specified values are greater than p. |
| >= | p > = q or p > = value | If p is greater than or equal to q, or if any value specified is greater than or equal to p. |
| < | p < q or p < value | If p is less than q, or if any of the specified values are less than p. |
| <= | p < = q or p < = value | If p is equal to q or if p is equal to the specified value. |
| == | p = = q or p = = value | If p is equal to q or if a is equal to the specified value. |
| != | p ! = q or p ! = value | If p is not equal to q or if p is not equal to the specified value. |
How to Get Started with C Programming?
To get started with any programming language first you have to install some required software. If you know a little bit about any programming language then you know you have to install IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and a compiler to compile the program.
A compiler is software that converts programming language to machine language, the language computer can understand. CodeBlocks is a popular IDE for C Programming. It includes the GCC/G++ compiler to compile the program and the GDB debugger from TDM-GCC.
Here you can download CodeBlocks IDE (Integrated Development Environment) and the Compiler. You have to download codeblocks-17.12mingw-setup.exe because it comes with IDE and Compiler.
How Can You Learn It?
Everyone can learn C Programming language because it is very easy to learn Programming Language. Feel free to use free resources to learn C Programming.
Here are the video tutorials on C Programming:
A book is a good source to learn anything. Search books related to C Programming Language. That’s it, this is all about why you should learn C programming. I hope the article was helpful to you. If you find it helpful let us know in the comment section.
