Basic Of C Language: Basic Concepts Of C Programming Language

C programming language is the mother of all programming languages, as it is considered a base for other programming languages. It is used for the development of applications, operating systems, gaming software, etc. This programming language was launched by Bell Labs in the mid-1970s.

C language is a high-level language that is used to write low-level code. This tutorial is suitable for beginners and professionals to learn the basics of C language and start writing C programs easily.

What is C Programming?

C programming is a high-level general-purpose programming language widely used for developing various applications and embedded systems. Many other modern programming languages have been derived from it.

It is generally preferred for system programming such as developing Operating systems, compilers, gaming applications, and more. The syntax of C programming is easier to learn, which also forms the basis of the syntax of other programming languages.

History of C Programming Language

The C programming language journey started in the 1970s and evolved since. Let us check the important timeline of the c programming language.

Starting at BellLabs in the 1970s: The C programming language was developed at BellLabs after B language to support the development of the Unix operating system.

Standardization: The c program gained popularity in the 90s due to its portability and efficiency. The American National Standards Institution (ANSI) provided a committee to standardize the definition of C to make it a widely acceptable programming language. It was adopted as ISO/IEC 9899:1990 referred to as C89 and C90.
C99 Standard: This standard version of C language was released in the year 1999 as ISO/IEC 9899:1999 which was known as C99. It offered new features such as variable declaration at any point inside a block, single-line comments, inline functions, etc.

The 1980s saw a major development that peaked the demand for user-friendly programming environments which can be used for creating larger, more complex software applications. This sudden development created a need for new programming languages with object-oriented programming languages, easy coding and reusable formats to help developers create more complex applications easily.

Basics of C Language: Features Highlights

Some of the crucial features of C programming are mentioned below.

C is a procedural language that follows a step-by-step procedure to solve a problem.
It is also known as a mid-level programming language as it combines the features of high-level as well as low-level languages.
It allows developers to break the code into smaller modules or functions that can be reused and maintained.
It is a statically typed language, which means a type of variable can be determined during compilation.
It provides library support consisting of predefined functions.
C programming languages are portable and can be used on different machines without any changes.
It supports recursion, bit manipulation, multithreading, and more to provide faster execution and efficiency.

Basics of C Language: Identifiers

Identifiers are the name given to a variable which is used to identify the variable, function or any other user-defined elements in the code.

An identifier can begin with lowercase or uppercase alphabet, underscore, or numbers and alphabet combinations.
It does not allow punctuation or special symbols, such as @, $, %, etc in the identifiers.
It is a case-sensitive programming language.

Basic of C Language: Constants

Constants are fixed values which cannot be changed or modified after initialisation. These fixed values are also referred to as literals. It can be of any data type, such as integer, float, pointer, string, character, etc. In C programming language, it is represented using const keyword.

Basics of C Language

const int maxNumber = 100;

const double PI = 3.1459;

const char Greeting = “Hello World”;

Basics of C Language: Keywords

Keywords are reserved words with specific defined functions. It cannot be used as a variable name or function name. In C programming language, there are 32 keywords.

Basic of C Langauge Keywords
auto	void
else	continue
long	goto
switch	sizeof
break	volatile
enum	default
register	if
typedef	static
case	while
extern	do
return	int
union	struct
char	pack
float	const
short	for
unsigned	signed

Basic of C Language: Comments

Comments are part of the program that is not compiled or executed. The comments are the text written along with the code to provide an explanation or guidance to any reader or developer going through the code. The compiler ignores these comments while executing the program.

C Program supports single-line comments which begin with “//” at the end of the comment. For multi-line comments which are enclosed between “/*” and “*/”. Comments increase the readability of the code.

Basic of C Langauge: Data Types

C Program supports various data types to store values inside the variable. There are three major types of data used in C Programming Language.

1. Primary or Primitive Data Type

It consists of the most basic type of data represented using integers, float, characters, double floating points, voids, etc.

2. User Defined Data Type

C Program also supports user-defined data types such as class, union, enum, typedef, class, etc. Different data types have different ranges which vary across compilers.

3. Derived Types

These data types are derived from the primitive data types and are hence known as derived data types. For example, function, array, pointer, reference, etc.

Basics of C Langauge: Statement Terminator

In C programming we use semicolons to end a statement. Each program statement in C ends with a semicolon. Check with an example below.

Basics of C Language

const int maxNumber = 100;

const double PI = 3.1459;

const char Greeting = “Hello World”;

Why Learn C Programming?

C programming is important for several reasons. Some of which are highlighted below.

C program is a high-level language that is comparatively easier to learn.
C programming language, being the mother of all other programming languages, provides a good hold over the basics of programming.
It is used to develop operating systems, embedded systems and gaming applications, which are always in higher demand.
C Programming language is a portable language that can easily run on different platforms without any changes being required.
C is a procedural language, which means it follows a set of guidelines to form programs.
It is a compiled language as code is first compiled and then executed.

Basics of C Langauge: Hello World Program

Start your C programming with the “Hello World!” program in the table below.

Basics of C Language: Hello World!

#include <stdio.h> // Include standard input/output library

int main() {

// Print “Hello, world!” on the console

printf(“Hello, world!\n”);

return 0; // Return 0 to indicate successful execution

}

Output

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Basics of C Language FAQs

What is Algorithm in C?

An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure to solve a problem in C programming. It creates a machine-friendly solution which can be executed with simple C programs.

What is the data type in C?

In C data type is used to tell the computer how to interpret the value. It provides various data types such as integer, character, floating points, doubt floating points, etc.