C Programming Language Tutorial

C language Tutorial with programming approach for beginners and professionals, helps you
to understand the C language tutorial easily. Our C tutorial explains each topic with
programs.

The C Language is developed for creating system applications that direct interacts to the
hardware devices such as drivers, kernals etc.

C programming is considered as the base for other programming languages, that is why it is
known as mother language.

It can be defined by following ways:

1. Mother language

2. System programming language

3. Procedure-oriented programming language

4. Structured programming language

5. Mid level programming language

1) C as a mother language
C language is considered as the mother language of all the modern languages
because most of the compilers, JVMs, Kernals etc. are written in C language and
most of languages follows c syntax e.g. C++, Java etc.

It provides the core concepts like array, functions, file handling etc. that is being used in
many languages like C++, java, C# etc.

2) C as a system programming language

A system programming language is used to create system softwares. C language is a
system programming language because it can be used to do low level programming
(e.g. driver and kernel). It is generally used to create hardware devices, OS, drivers,
kernels etc. For example, linux kernel is written in C.
It can?t be used in internet programming like java, .net, php etc.

3) C as a procedural language
A procedure is known as function, method, routine, subroutine etc. A procedural
language specifies a series of steps or procedures for the program to solve the
problem.

A procedural language breaks the program into functions, data structures etc.

C is a procedural language. In C, variables and function prototypes must be declared before

being used.

4) C as a structured programming language

A structured programming language is a subset of procedural language. Structure means
to break a program into parts or blocks so that it may be easy to understand.

In C language, we break the program into parts using functions. It makes the program
easier to understand and modify.

5) C as a mid-level programming language

C is considered as a middle level language because it supports the feature of both low-
level and high level language. C language program is converted into assembly code,
supports pointer arithmetic (low level), but it is machine independent (feature of high level).

Low level language is specific to one machine i.e. machine dependent. It is machine
dependent, fast to run. But it is not easy to understand.

High Level language is not specific to one machine i.e. machine independent. It is easy to
understand.

History of C Language
History of C language is interesting to know. Here we are going to discuss brief history of
c language.

C programming language was developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie at bell laboratories of

AT&T (American Telephone & Telegraph), located in U.S.A.

Dennis Ritchie is known as the founder of c language.

It was developed to overcome the problems of previous languages such as B, BCPL etc.

Initially, C language was developed to be used in UNIX operating system. It inherits

many features of previous languages such as B and BCPL.

Let's see the programming languages that were developed before C language.

Language Year Developed By

Algol 1960 International Group

BCPL 1967 Martin Richard

B 1970 Ken Thompson

Traditional C 1972 Dennis Ritchie

K&RC 1978 Kernighan & Dennis Ritchie

ANSI C 1989 ANSI Committee

ANSI/ISO C 1990 ISO Committee

C99 1999 Standardization Committee

Features of C Language

C is the widely used language. It provides a lot of features that are given below.

1. Simple

2. Machine Independent or Portable

3. Mid-level programming language

4. structured programming language

5. Rich Library

6. Memory Management

7. Fast Speed

8. Pointers

9. Recursion

10. Extensible
1) Simple
C is a simple language in the sense that it provides structured approach (to break the
problem into parts), rich set of library functions, data types etc.

2) Machine Independent or Portable

Unlike assembly language, c programs can be executed in many machines with little bit
or no change. But it is not platform-independent.

3) Mid-level prorgramming language

C is also used to do low level programming. It is used to develop system applications
such as kernel, driver etc. It also supports the feature of high level language. That is
why it is known as mid-level language.

4) Structured prorgramming language

C is a structured programming language in the sense that we can break the program
into parts using functions. So, it is easy to understand and modify.

5) Rich Library
C provides a lot of inbuilt functions that makes the development fast.

6) Memory Management
It supports the feature of dynamic memory allocation. In C language, we can free the
allocated memory at any time by calling the free() function.
7) Speed
The compilation and execution time of C language is fast.

8) Pointer
C provides the feature of pointers. We can directly interact with the memory by using the
pointers. We can use pointers for memory, structures, functions, array etc.

9) Recursion
In c, we can call the function within the function. It provides code reusability for every
function.

10) Extensible
C language is extensible because it can easily adopt new features.

How to install C
There are many compilers available for c and c++. You need to download any one. Here, we
are going to use Turbo C++. It will work for both C and C++. To install the Turbo C
software, you need to follow following steps.

1. Download Turbo C++

2. Create turboc directory inside c drive and extract the tc3.zip inside c:\turboc

3. Double click on install.exe file

4. Click on the tc application file located inside c:\TC\BIN to write the c program
1) Download Turbo C++ software
You can download turbo c++ from many sites. download Turbo c++

2) Create turboc directory in c drive and extract the

tc3.zip
Now, you need to create a new directory turboc inside the c: drive. Now extract the tc3.zip
file in c:\truboc directory.

3) Double click on the install.exe file and follow steps

Now, click on the install icon located inside the c:\turboc

It will ask you to install c or not, press enter to install.

Change your drive to c, press c.

Press enter, it will look inside the c:\turboc directory for the required files.
Select Start installation by the down arrow key then press enter.
Now C is installed, press enter to read documentation or close the
software.

4) Click on the tc application located inside c:\TC\BIN

Now double click on the tc icon located in c:\TC\BIN directory to write the c program.
In windows 7 or window 8, it will show a dialog block to ignore and close the application
because fullscreen mode is not supported. Click on Ignore button.

Now it will showing following console.

 First C Program
Before starting the abcd of C language, you need to learn how to write, compile and run the
first c program.

To write the first c program, open the C console and write the following code:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. printf("Hello C Language");
5.
6. getch();
7. }
#include <stdio.h> includes the standard input output library functions. The printf()
function is defined in stdio.h .

#include <conio.h> includes the console input output library functions. The getch()
function is defined in conio.h file.

void main() The main() function is the entry point of every program in c language.
The void keyword specifies that it returns no value.

printf() The printf() function is used to print data on the console.

getch() The getch() function asks for a single character. Until you press any key, it
blocks the screen.

How to compile and run the c program

There are 2 ways to compile and run the c program, by menu and by shortcut.

By menu
Now click on the compile menu then compile sub menu to compile the c program.

Then click on the run menu then run sub menu to run the c program.

By shortcut
Or, press ctrl+f9 keys compile and run the program directly.

You will see the following output on user screen.

 You can view the user screen any time by pressing the alt+f5 keys.

Now press Esc to return to the turbo c++ console.

clear screen by clrscr() function

If you run the c program many times, it will append the output in previous output. But, you
can call clrscr() function to clear the screen. So it will be better for you to call clrscr()
function after the main method as given below:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. clrscr();
5. printf("Hello C Language");
6.
7. getch();
8. }

Flow of C Program
 The C program follows many steps in execution. To understand the flow of C program well,
let us see a simple program first.

File: simple.c

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. printf("Hello C Language");
4. }

Let's try to understand the flow of above program by the figure given below.
 The printf() and scanf() functions are used for input and output in C language. Both
functions are inbuilt library functions, defined in stdio.h (header file).

printf() function
The printf() function is used for output. It prints the given statement to the console.

The syntax of printf() function is given below:

1. printf("format string",argument_list);
The format string can be %d (integer), %c (character), %s (string), %f (float) etc.

scanf() function
The scanf() function is used for input. It reads the input data from the console.

1. scanf("format string",argument_list);

Program to print cube of given number

Let's see a simple example of c language that gets input from the user and prints the cube
of the given number.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. printf("cube of number is:%d ",number*number*number);
11.
12. getch();
13. }

Output
enter a number:5
cube of number is:125
The scanf("%d",&number) statement reads integer number from the console and stores
the given value in number variable.
 The printf("cube of number is:%d ",number*number*number) statement prints the
cube of number on the console.

Program to print sum of 2 numbers

Let's see a simple example of input and output in C language that prints addition of 2
numbers.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int x=0,y=0,result=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter first number:");
8. scanf("%d",&x);
9. printf("enter second number:");
10. scanf("%d",&y);
11.
12. result=x+y;
13. printf("sum of 2 numbers:%d ",result);
14.
15. getch();
16. }

Output
enter first number:9
enter second number:9
sum of 2 numbers:18

Variables in C
A variable is a name of memory location. It is used to store data. Its value can be changed
and it can be reused many times.

It is a way to represent memory location through symbol so that it can be easily identified.

Let's see the syntax to declare a variable:

1. type variable_list;
The example of declaring variable is given below:
1. int a;
2. float b;
3. char c;
Here, a, b, c are variables and int,float,char are data types.

We can also provide values while declaring the variables as given below:

1. int a=10,b=20;//declaring 2 variable of integer type

2. float f=20.8;
3. char c='A';

Rules for defining variables

o A variable can have alphabets, digits and underscore.

o A variable name can start with alphabet and underscore only. It can't start with digit.

o No white space is allowed within variable name.

o A variable name must not be any reserved word or keyword e.g. int, float etc.

Valid variable names:

1. int a;
2. int _ab;
3. int a30;
Inalid variable names:

1. int 2;
2. int a b;
3. int long;

Types of Variables in C
There are many types of variables in c:

1. local variable

2. global variable
 3. static variable

4. automatic variable

5. external variable

Local Variable
A variable that is declared inside the function or block is called local variable.

It must be declared at the start of the block.

1. void function1(){
2. int x=10;//local variable
3. }
You must have to initialize the local variable before it is used.

Global Variable
A variable that is declared outside the function or block is called global variable. Any
function can change the value of the global variable. It is available to all the functions.

It must be declared at the start of the block.

1. int value=20;//global variable

2. void function1(){
3. int x=10;//local variable
4. }

Static Variable
A variable that is declared with static keyword is called static variable.

It retains its value between multiple function calls.

1. void function1(){
2. int x=10;//local variable
3. static int y=10;//static variable
4. x=x+1;
5. y=y+1;
6. printf("%d,%d",x,y);
7. }
If you call this function many times, local variable will print the same value for each
function call e.g, 11,11,11 and so on. But static variable will print the incremented
value in each function call e.g. 11, 12, 13 and so on.

Automatic Variable
All variables in C that is declared inside the block, are automatic variables by default. By we
can explicitly declare automatic variable using auto keyword.

1. void main(){
2. int x=10;//local variable (also automatic)
3. auto int y=20;//automatic variable
4. }

External Variable
We can share a variable in multiple C source files by using external variable. To declare a
external variable, you need to use extern keyword.

myfile.h

1. extern int x=10;//external variable (also global)

program1.c

1. #include "myfile.h"
2. #include <stdio.h>
3. void printValue(){
4. printf("Global variable: %d", global_variable);
5. }

Data Types in C
A data type specifies the type of data that a variable can store such as integer, floating,
character etc.
There are 4 types of data types in C language.

Types Data Types

Basic Data Type int, char, float, double

Derived Data Type array, pointer, structure, union

Enumeration Data Type enum

Void Data Type void

Basic Data Types

The basic data types are integer-based and floating-point based. C language supports both
signed and unsigned literals.

The memory size of basic data types may change according to 32 or 64 bit operating
system.

Let's see the basic data types. Its size is given according to 32 bit architecture.

Data Types Memory Size Range

char 1 byte 128 to 127

signed char 1 byte 128 to 127

unsigned char 1 byte 0 to 255

 short 2 byte 32,768 to 32,767

signed short 2 byte 32,768 to 32,767

unsigned short 2 byte 0 to 65,535

int 2 byte 32,768 to 32,767

signed int 2 byte 32,768 to 32,767

unsigned int 2 byte 0 to 65,535

short int 2 byte 32,768 to 32,767

signed short int 2 byte 32,768 to 32,767

unsigned short int 2 byte 0 to 65,535

long int 4 byte -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647

signed long int 4 byte -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647

unsigned long int 4 byte 0 to 4,294,967,295

float 4 byte

double 8 byte

long double 10 byte

Keywords in C
A keyword is a reserved word. You cannot use it as a variable name, constant name etc.
There are only 32 reserved words (keywords) in C language.

A list of 32 keywords in c language is given below:

 auto break case char const continue defa

double else enum extern float for goto

int long register return short signed sizeo

struct switch typedef union unsigned void volat

We will learn about all the C language keywords later.

C Operators
An operator is simply a symbol that is used to perform operations. There can be many types
of operations like arithmetic, logical, bitwise etc.

There are following types of operators to perform different types of operations in C

language.

o Arithmetic Operators

o Relational Operators

o Shift Operators

o Logical Operators

o Bitwise Operators

o Ternary or Conditional Operators

o Assignment Operator

o Misc Operator

Precedence of Operators in C
The precedence of operator species that which operator will be evaluated first and next. The
associativity specifies the operators direction to be evaluated, it may be left to right or right
to left.
 Let's understand the precedence by the example given below:

1. int value=10+20*10;

The value variable will contain 210 because * (multiplicative operator) is evaluated before +
(additive operator).

The precedence and associativity of C operators is given below:

Category Operator Ass

Postfix () [] -> . ++ - - L

Unary + - ! ~ ++ - - (type)* & sizeof R

Multiplicative */% L

Additive +- L

Shift << >> L

Relational < <= > >= L

Equality == != L

Bitwise AND & L

Bitwise XOR ^ L

Bitwise OR | L

Logical AND && L

Logical OR || L

Conditional ?: R

Assignment = += -= *= /= %=>>= <<= &= ^= |= R

Comma , L

Comments in C
Comments in C language are used to provide information about lines of code. It is widely
used for documenting code. There are 2 types of comments in C language.

1. Single Line Comments

 2. Multi Line Comments

Single Line Comments

Single line comments are represented by double slash \\. Let's see an example of single line
comment in C.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. clrscr();
5. //printing information
6. printf("Hello C");
7. getch();
8. }

Output:

Hello C

Even you can place comment after statement. For example:

1. printf("Hello C");//printing information

Mult Line Comments

Multi line comments are represented by slash asterisk \* ... *\. It can occupy many lines of
code but it can't be nested. Syntax:

1. /*
2. code
3. to be commented
4. */

Let's see an example of multi line comment in C.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. clrscr();
5. /*printing
6. information*/
7. printf("Hello C");
8. getch();
9. }

Output:

Hello C

Escape Sequence in C
An escape sequence in C language is a sequence of characters that doesn't represent itself
when used inside string literal or character.

It is composed of two or more characters starting with backslash \. For example: \n

represents new line.

List of Escape Sequences in C

Escape Sequence Meaning

\a Alarm or Beep

\b Backspace

\f Form Feed

\n New Line

\r Carriage Return

\t Tab (Horizontal)

\v Vertical Tab

\\ Backslash

\' Single Quote

\" Double Quote

\? Question Mark

\nnn octal number

\xhh hexadecimal number

 \0 Null

Escape Sequence Example

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=50;
5. clrscr();
6. printf("You\nare\nlearning\n\'c\' language\n\"Do you know C language\"");
7. getch();
8. }

Output:

You
are
learning
'c' language
"Do you know C language"

Constants in C
A constant is a value or variable that can't be changed in the program, for example: 10, 20,
'a', 3.4, "c programming" etc.

There are different types of constants in C programming.

List of Constants in C
Constant Example

Decimal Constant 10, 20, 450 etc.

Real or Floating-point Constant 10.3, 20.2, 450.6 etc.

Octal Constant 021, 033, 046 etc.

Hexadecimal Constant 0x2a, 0x7b, 0xaa etc.

Character Constant 'a', 'b', 'x' etc.

 String Constant "c", "c program", "c in javatpoint" etc.

2 ways to define constant in C

There are two ways to define constant in C programming.

1. const keyword

2. #define preprocessor

1) C const keyword
The const keyword is used to define constant in C programming.

1. const float PI=3.14;

Now, the value of PI variable can't be changed.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. const float PI=3.14;
5. clrscr();
6. printf("The value of PI is: %f",PI);
7. getch();
8. }

Output:

The value of PI is: 3.140000

If you try to change the the value of PI, it will render compile time error.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. const float PI=3.14;
5. clrscr();
6. PI=4.5;
7. printf("The value of PI is: %f",PI);
8. getch();
9. }

Output:

Compile Time Error: Cannot modify a const object

2) C #define preprocessor
The #define preprocessor is also used to define constant. We will learn about #define
preprocessor directive later.

Visit here for: #define preprocessor directive.

C if else Statement
The if statement in C language is used to perform operation on the basis of condition. By
using if-else statement, you can perform operation either condition is true or false.

There are many ways to use if statement in C language:

o If statement

o If-else statement

o If else-if ladder

o Nested if

If Statement
The single if statement in C language is used to execute the code if condition is true. The
syntax of if statement is given below:

1. if(expression){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
 Flowchart of if statement in C

Let's see a simple example of c language if statement.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. if(number%2==0){
11. printf("%d is even number",number);
12. }
13.
14. getch();
15. }

Output
enter a number:4
4 is even number
enter a number:5

If-else Statement
The if-else statement in C language is used to execute the code if condition is true or false.
The syntax of if-else statement is given below:

1. if(expression){
2. //code to be executed if condition is true
3. }else{
4. //code to be executed if condition is false
5. }
 Flowchart of if-else statement in C

Let's see the simple example of even and odd number using if-else statement in C language.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. if(number%2==0){
11. printf("%d is even number",number);
12. }
13. else{
14. printf("%d is odd number",number);
15. }
16. getch();
17. }

Output
enter a number:4
4 is even number
enter a number:5
5 is odd number

If else-if ladder Statement

The if else-if statement is used to execute one code from multiple conditions. The syntax of
if else-if statement is given below:

1. if(condition1){
2. //code to be executed if condition1 is true
3. }else if(condition2){
4. //code to be executed if condition2 is true
5. }
6. else if(condition3){
7. //code to be executed if condition3 is true
8. }
9. ...
10. else{
11. //code to be executed if all the conditions are false
12. }
 Flowchart of else-if ladder statement in C

The example of if-else-if statement in C language is given below.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. if(number==10){
11. printf("number is equals to 10");
12. }
13. else if(number==50){
14. printf("number is equal to 50");
15. }
16. else if(number==100){
17. printf("number is equal to 100");
18. }
19. else{
20. printf("number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100");
21. }
22. getch();
23. }

Output
enter a number:4
number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100
enter a number:50
number is equal to 50

C Switch Statement
The switch statement in C language is used to execute the code from multiple conditions. It
is like if else-if ladder statement.

The syntax of switch statement in c language is given below:

1. switch(expression){
2. case value1:
3. //code to be executed;
4. break; //optional
5. case value2:
6. //code to be executed;
7. break; //optional
8. ......
9.
10. default:
11. code to be executed if all cases are not matched;
12. }
 Rules for switch statement in C language
1) The switch expression must be of integer or character type.

2) The case value must be integer or character constant.

3) The case value can be used only inside the switch statement.

4) The break statement in switch case is not must. It is optional. If there is no break
statement found in switch case, all the cases will be executed after matching the case value.
It is known as fall through state of C switch statement.

Let's try to understand it by the examples. We are assuming there are following variables.

1. int x,y,z;
2. char a,b;
3. float f;
Valid Switch Invalid Switch Valid Case Inva

switch(x) switch(f) case 3; cas

switch(x>y) switch(x+2.5) case 'a'; cas

switch(a+b-2) case 1+2; cas

switch(func(x,y)) case 'x'>'y'; cas

 Flowchart of switch statement in C

Let's see a simple example of c language switch statement.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. switch(number){
11. case 10:
12. printf("number is equals to 10");
13. break;
14. case 50:
15. printf("number is equal to 50");
16. break;
17. case 100:
18. printf("number is equal to 100");
19. break;
20. default:
21. printf("number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100");
22. }
23. getch();
24. }

Output
enter a number:4
number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100
enter a number:50
number is equal to 50

C Switch statement is fall-through

In C language, switch statement is fall through, it means if you don't use break statement in
switch case, all the case after matching case will be executed.

Let's try to understand the fall through state of switch statement by the example given
below.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. switch(number){
11. case 10:
12. printf("number is equals to 10\n");
13. case 50:
14. printf("number is equal to 50\n");
15. case 100:
16. printf("number is equal to 100\n");
17. default:
18. printf("number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100");
19. }
20. getch();
21. }

Output
enter a number:10
number is equals to 10
number is equals to 50
number is equals to 100
number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100
enter a number:50
number is equal to 50
number is equals to 100
number is not equal to 10, 50 or 100

C Loops
The loops in C language are used to execute a block of code or a part of the program
several times.

In other words, it iterates a code or group of code many times.

Why use loops in C language?

Suppose that you have to print table of 2, then you need to write 10 lines of code.

By using the loop statement, you can do it by 2 or 3 lines of code only.

Advantage of loops in C
1) It saves code.

2) It helps to traverse the elements of array (which is covered in next pages).

 Types of C Loops
There are three types of loops in C language that is given below:

1. do while

2. while

3. for

do-while loop in C
It iterates the code until condition is false. Here, condition is given after the code. So at
least once, code is executed whether condition is true or false.

It is better if you have to execute the code at least once.

The syntax of do-while loop in c language is given below:

1. do{
2. //code to be executed
3. }while(condition);
Flowchart and Example of do-while loop

while loop in C
Like do while, it iterates the code until condition is false. Here, condition is given before the
code. So code may be executed 0 or more times.

It is better if number of iteration is not known by the user.

The syntax of while loop in c language is given below:

1. while(condition){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
Flowchart and Example of while loop

for loop in C
Like while, it iterates the code until condition is false. Here, initialization, condition and
increment/decrement is given before the code. So code may be executed 0 or more times.
 It is good if number of iteration is known by the user.

The syntax of for loop in c language is given below:

1. for(initialization;condition;incr/decr){
2. //code to be executed
3. }

do while loop in C
To execute a part of program or code several times, we can use do-while loop of C
language. The code given between the do and while block will be executed until condition is
true.

In do while loop, statement is given before the condition, so statement or code will be
executed at lease one time. In other words, we can say it is executed 1 or more times.

It is better if you have to execute the code at least once.

do while loop syntax

The syntax of C language do-while loop is given below:

1. do{
2. //code to be executed
3. }while(condition);
 Flowchart of do while loop

do while example
There is given the simple program of c language do while loop where we are printing the
table of 1.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. do{
8. printf("%d \n",i);
9. i++;
10. }while(i<=10);
11.
12. getch();
13. }

Output
1
 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Program to print table for the given number using do while loop
1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1,number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("Enter a number: ");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. do{
11. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
12. i++;
13. }while(i<=10);
14.
15. getch();
16. }

Output
Enter a number: 5
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Enter a number: 10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
 80
90
100

Infinitive do while loop

If you pass 1 as a expression in do while loop, it will run infinite number of times.

1. do{
2. //statement
3. }while(1);

do while loop in C
To execute a part of program or code several times, we can use do-while loop of C
language. The code given between the do and while block will be executed until condition is
true.

In do while loop, statement is given before the condition, so statement or code will be
executed at lease one time. In other words, we can say it is executed 1 or more times.

It is better if you have to execute the code at least once.

do while loop syntax

The syntax of C language do-while loop is given below:

1. do{
2. //code to be executed
3. }while(condition);
 Flowchart of do while loop

do while example
There is given the simple program of c language do while loop where we are printing the
table of 1.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. do{
8. printf("%d \n",i);
9. i++;
10. }while(i<=10);
11.
12. getch();
13. }

Output
1
 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Program to print table for the given number using do while loop
1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1,number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("Enter a number: ");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. do{
11. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
12. i++;
13. }while(i<=10);
14.
15. getch();
16. }

Output
Enter a number: 5
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Enter a number: 10
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
 80
90
100

Infinitive do while loop

If you pass 1 as a expression in do while loop, it will run infinite number of times.

1. do{
2. //statement
3. }while(1);

while loop in C
The while loop in C language is used to iterate the part of program or statements many
times.

In while loop, condition is given before the statement. So it is different from the do while
loop. It can execute the statements 0 or more times.

When use while loop in C

The C language while loop should be used if number of iteration is uncertain or unknown.

Syntax of while loop in C language

The syntax of while loop in c language is given below:

1. while(condition){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
 Flowchart of while loop in C

Example of while loop in C language

Let's see the simple program of while loop that prints table of 1.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. while(i<=10){
8. printf("%d \n",i);
9. i++;
10. }
11.
12. getch();
13. }
 Output
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Program to print table for the given number using while

loop in C
1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1,number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("Enter a number: ");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. while(i<=10){
11. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
12. i++;
13. }
14.
15. getch();
16. }

Output
Enter a number: 50
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
500
Enter a number: 100
100
 200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000

Infinitive while loop in C

If you pass 1 as a expression in while loop, it will run infinite number of times.

1. while(1){
2. //statement
3. }

for loop in C
The for loop in C language is also used to iterate the statement or a part of the program
several times, like while and do-while loop.

But, we can initialize and increment or decrement the variable also at the time of checking
the condition in for loop.

Unlike do while loop, the condition or expression in for loop is given before the statement,
so it may execute the statement 0 or more times.

When use for loop in C

For loop is better if number of iteration is known by the programmer.

Syntax of for loop in C

The syntax of for loop in c language is given below:

1. for(initialization;condition;incr/decr){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
 Flowchart of for loop in C

Example of for loop in C language

Let's see the simple program of for loop that prints table of 1.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. for(i=1;i<=10;i++){
8. printf("%d \n",i);
9. }
10.
11. getch();
12. }

Output
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

C Program : Print table for the given number using C

for loop
1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1,number=0;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("Enter a number: ");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9.
10. for(i=1;i<=10;i++){
11. printf("%d \n",(number*i));
12. }
13.
14. getch();
15. }

Output
Enter a number: 2
2
4
6
8
10
 12
14
16
18
20
Enter a number: 1000
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000

Infinitive for loop in C

If you don't initialize any variable, check condition and increment or decrement variable in
for loop, it is known as infinitive for loop.

In other words, if you place 2 semicolons in for loop, it is known as infinitive for loop.

1. for(;;){
2. printf("infinitive for loop example by javatpoint");
3. }
If you run this program, you will see above statement infinite times.

C break statement
The break statement in C language is used to break the execution of loop (while, do while
and for) and switch case.

In case of inner loops, it terminates the control of inner loop only.

There can be two usage of C break keyword:

1. With switch case

2. With loop

Syntax:
1. jump-statement;
2. break;
 The jump statement in c break syntax can be while loop, do while loop, for loop or switch
case.

Flowchart of break in c

Example of C break statement with switch case

Click here to see the example of C break with switch statement.

Example of C break statement with loop

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1;//initializing a local variable
5. clrscr();
6.
7. //starting a loop from 1 to 10
8. for(i=1;i<=10;i++){
9. printf("%d \n",i);
10. if(i==5){//if value of i is equal to 5, it will break the loop
11. break;
12. }
13. }//end of for loop
14.
15. getch();
16. }

Output
1
2
3
4
5
As you can see on console output, loop from 1 to 10 is not printed after i==5.

C break statement with inner loop

In such case, it breaks only inner loop, but not outer loop.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1,j=1;//initializing a local variable
5. clrscr();
6.
7. for(i=1;i<=3;i++){
8. for(j=1;j<=3;j++){
9. printf("%d &d\n",i,j);
10. if(i==2 && j==2){
11. break;//will break loop of j only
12. }
13. }
14. }//end of for loop
15.
16. getch();
17. }

Output
1 1
1 2
1 3
 2 1
2 2
3 1
3 2
3 3
As you can see the output on console, 2 3 is not printed because there is break statement
after printing i==2 and j==2. But 3 1, 3 2 and 3 3 is printed because break statement
works for inner loop only.

C continue statement
The continue statement in C language is used to continue the execution of loop (while, do
while and for). It is used with if condition within the loop.

In case of inner loops, it continues the control of inner loop only.

Syntax:
1. jump-statement;
2. continue;
The jump statement can be while, do while and for loop.

Example of continue statement in c

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1;//initializing a local variable
5. clrscr();
6.
7. //starting a loop from 1 to 10
8. for(i=1;i<=10;i++){
9. if(i==5){//if value of i is equal to 5, it will continue the loop
10. continue;
11. }
12. printf("%d \n",i);
13. }//end of for loop
14.
15. getch();
16. }
 Output
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
10
As you can see, 5 is not printed on the console because loop is continued at i==5.

C continue statement with inner loop

In such case, C continue statement continues only inner loop, but not outer loop.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=1,j=1;//initializing a local variable
5. clrscr();
6.
7. for(i=1;i<=3;i++){
8. for(j=1;j<=3;j++){
9. if(i==2 && j==2){
10. continue;//will continue loop of j only
11. }
12. printf("%d &d\n",i,j);
13. }
14. }//end of for loop
15.
16. getch();
17. }

Output
1 1
1 2
1 3
2 1
2 3
3 1
3 2
3 3
 As you can see, 2 2 is not printed on the console because inner loop is continued at i==2
and j==2.

C goto statement
The goto statement is known as jump statement in C language. It is used to unconditionally
jump to other label. It transfers control to other parts of the program.

It is rarely used today because it makes program less readable and complex.

Syntax:

1. goto label;

goto example
Let's see a simple example to use goto statement in C language.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main() {
4. int age;
5. clrscr();
6. ineligible:
7. printf("You are not eligible to vote!\n");
8.
9. printf("Enter you age:\n");
10. scanf("%d", &age);
11. if(age<18)
12. goto ineligible;
13. else
14. printf("You are eligible to vote!\n");
15.
16. getch();
17. }

Output:

You are not eligible to vote!

Enter you age:
11
 You are not eligible to vote!
Enter you age:
44
You are eligible to vote!

Type Casting in C
Type casting allows us to convert one data type into other. In C language, we use cast
operator for type casting which is denoted by (type).

Syntax:

1. (type)value;

Note: It is always recommended to convert lower value to higher for avoiding data loss.

Without Type Casting:

1. int f= 9/4;
2. printf("f : %d\n", f );//Output: 2
With Type Casting:

1. float f=(float) 9/4;

2. printf("f : %f\n", f );//Output: 2.250000

Type Casting example

Let's see a simple example to cast int value into float.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. clrscr();
5.
6. float f= (float)9/4;
7. printf("f : %f\n", f );
8.
9. getch();
10. }
Output:

f : 2.250000
functions in C
The function in C language is also known as procedure or subroutine in other
programming languages.

To perform any task, we can create function. A function can be called many times. It
provides modularity and code reusability.

Advantage of functions in C
There are many advantages of functions.

1) Code Reusability
By creating functions in C, you can call it many times. So we don't need to write the same
code again and again.

2) Code optimization
It makes the code optimized, we don't need to write much code.

Suppose, you have to check 3 numbers (781, 883 and 531) whether it is prime number or
not. Without using function, you need to write the prime number logic 3 times. So, there is
repetition of code.

But if you use functions, you need to write the logic only once and you can reuse it several
times.

Types of Functions
There are two types of functions in C programming:

1. Library Functions: are the functions which are declared in the C header files such
as scanf(), printf(), gets(), puts(), ceil(), floor() etc.

2. User-defined functions: are the functions which are created by the C programmer,
so that he/she can use it many times. It reduces complexity of a big program and
optimizes the code.
 Declaration of a function
The syntax of creating function in c language is given below:

1. return_type function_name(data_type parameter...){

2. //code to be executed
3. }

Return Value
A C function may or may not return a value from the function. If you don't have to return
any value from the function, use void for the return type.

Let's see a simple example of C function that doesn't return any value from the function.

Example without return value:

1. void hello(){
2. printf("hello c");
3. }
If you want to return any value from the function, you need to use any data type such as
int, long, char etc. The return type depends on the value to be returned from the function.

Let's see a simple example of C function that returns int value from the function.
 Example with return value:

1. int get(){
2. return 10;
3. }
In the above example, we have to return 10 as a value, so the return type is int. If you
want to return floating-point value (e.g. 10.2, 3.1, 54.5 etc), you need to use float as the
return type of the method.

1. float get(){
2. return 10.2;
3. }
Now, you need to call the function, to get the value of the function.

Parameters in C Function
A c function may have 0 or more parameters. You can have any type of parameter in C
program such as int, float, char etc. The parameters are also known as formal arguments.

Example of a function that has 0 parameter:

1. void hello(){
2. printf("hello c");
3. }
Example of a function that has 1 parameter:

1. int cube(int n){

2. return n*n*n;
3. }
Example of a function that has 2 parameters:

1. int add(int a, int b){

2. return a+b;
3. }

Calling a function in C
If a function returns any value, you need to call function to get the value returned from the
function. The syntax of calling a function in c programming is given below:
1. variable=function_name(arguments...);
1) variable: The variable is not mandatory. If function return type is void, you must not
provide the variable because void functions doesn't return any value.

2) function_name: The function_name is name of the function to be called.

3) arguments: You need to provide arguments while calling the C function. It is also known
as actual arguments.

Example to call a function:

1. hello();//calls function that doesn't return a value

2. int value=get();//calls function that returns value
3. int value2=add(10,20);//calls parameterized function by passing 2 values

Example of C function with no return statement

Let's see the simple program of C function that doesn't return any value from the function.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. //defining function
4. void hello(){
5. printf("hello c programming");
6. }
7. void main(){
8. clrscr();
9.
10. hello();//calling a function
11. hello();
12. hello();
13.
14. getch();
15. }

Output
hello c programming
hello c programming
hello c programming

Example of C function with return statement

 Let's see the simple program of function in c language.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. //defining function
4. int cube(int n){
5. return n*n*n;
6. }
7. void main(){
8. int result1=0,result2=0;
9. clrscr();
10.
11. result1=cube(2);//calling function
12. result2=cube(3);
13.
14. printf("%d \n",result1);
15. printf("%d \n",result2);
16.
17. getch();
18. }

Output
8
27

Call by value and call by reference in C

There are two ways to pass value or data to function in C language: call by value and call by
reference. Original value is not modified in call by value but it is modified in call by
reference.
 Let's understand call by value and call by reference in c language one by one.

Call by value in C
In call by value, original value is not modified.

In call by value, value being passed to the function is locally stored by the function
parameter in stack memory location. If you change the value of function parameter, it is
changed for the current function only. It will not change the value of variable inside the
caller method such as main().

Let's try to understand the concept of call by value in c language by the example given
below:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void change(int num) {
4. printf("Before adding value inside function num=%d \n",num);
5. num=num+100;
6. printf("After adding value inside function num=%d \n", num);
7. }
8.
9. int main() {
10. int x=100;
11. clrscr();
12.
13. printf("Before function call x=%d \n", x);
14. change(x);//passing value in function
15. printf("After function call x=%d \n", x);
16.
17. getch();
18. return 0;
19. }

Output
Before function call x=100
Before adding value inside function num=100
After adding value inside function num=200
After function call x=100

Call by reference in C
In call by reference, original value is modified because we pass reference (address).

Here, address of the value is passed in the function, so actual and formal arguments shares
the same address space. Hence, value changed inside the function, is reflected inside as
well as outside the function.

Note: To understand the call by reference, you must have the basic knowledge of pointers.

Let's try to understand the concept of call by reference in c language by the example given
below:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void change(int *num) {
4. printf("Before adding value inside function num=%d \n",*num);
5. (*num) += 100;
6. printf("After adding value inside function num=%d \n", *num);
7. }
8.
9. int main() {
10. int x=100;
11. clrscr();
12.
13. printf("Before function call x=%d \n", x);
14. change(&x);//passing reference in function
15. printf("After function call x=%d \n", x);
16.
17. getch();
18. return 0;
19. }

Output
Before function call x=100
Before adding value inside function num=100
After adding value inside function num=200
After function call x=200

Difference between call by value and call by reference

in c
No Call by value Call by reference
.

1 A copy of value is passed to the function An address of value is passed to the

2 Changes made inside the function is not reflected on Changes made inside the function
other functions the function also

3 Actual and formal arguments will be created in different Actual and formal arguments will
memory location memory location

Recursion in C
When function is called within the same function, it is known as recursion in C. The
function which calls the same function, is known as recursive function.

A function that calls itself, and doesn't perform any task after function call, is know as tail
recursion. In tail recursion, we generally call the same function with return statement. An
example of tail recursion is given below.
 Let's see a simple example of recursion.

1. recursionfunction(){
2. recursionfunction();//calling self function
3. }

Example of tail recursion in C

Let's see an example to print factorial number using tail recursion in C language.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. int factorial (int n)
4. {
5. if ( n < 0)
6. return -1; /*Wrong value*/
7. if (n == 0)
8. return 1; /*Terminating condition*/
9. return (n * factorial (n -1));
10. }
11.
12. void main(){
13. int fact=0;
14. clrscr();
15. fact=factorial(5);
16. printf("\n factorial of 5 is %d",fact);
17.
18. getch();
19. }

Output
factorial of 5 is 120
We can understand the above program of recursive method call by the figure given below:
 Storage
Classes in C
Storage classes are used to define scope and life time of a variable. There are four storage
classes in C programming.

o auto

o extern

o static

o register

Storage Storage Default Scope Life-time

Classes Place Value

auto RAM Garbage Local Within function

Value

extern RAM Zero Global Till the end of main program, May be decla
program

static RAM Zero Local Till the end of main program, Retains val
 functions call

register Register Garbage Local Within function

Value

1) auto
The auto keyword is applied to all local variables automatically. It is the default storage class
that is why it is known as automatic variable.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. int a=10;
4. auto int b=10;//same like above
5. printf("%d %d",a,b);
6. }
Output:

10 10

2) register
The register variable allocates memory in register than RAM. Its size is same of register
size. It has a faster access than other variables.

It is recommended to use register variable only for quick access such as in counter.

Note: We can't get the address of register variable.

1. register int counter=0;

3) static
The static variable is initialized only once and exists till the end of the program. It retains
its value between multiple functions call.

The static variable has the default value 0 which is provided by compiler.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void func() {
3. static int i=0;//static variable
4. int j=0;//local variable
5. i++;
6. j++;
7. printf("i= %d and j= %d\n", i, j);
8. }
9. void main() {
10. func();
11. func();
12. func();
13. }
Output:

i= 1 and j= 1
i= 2 and j= 1
i= 3 and j= 1

4) extern
The extern variable is visible to all the programs. It is used if two or more files are sharing
same variable or function.

1. extern int counter=0;

C Array
Array in C language is a collection or group of elements (data). All the elements of c array
are homogeneous (similar). It has contiguous memory location.

C array is beneficial if you have to store similar elements. Suppose you have to store marks
of 50 students, one way to do this is allotting 50 variables. So it will be typical and hard to
manage. For example we can not access the value of these variables with only 1 or 2 lines
of code.

Another way to do this is array. By using array, we can access the elements easily. Only few
lines of code is required to access the elements of array.

Advantage of C Array
1) Code Optimization: Less code to the access the data.

2) Easy to traverse data: By using the for loop, we can retrieve the elements of an array
easily.

3) Easy to sort data: To sort the elements of array, we need a few lines of code only.

4) Random Access: We can access any element randomly using the array.
 Disadvantage of C Array
1) Fixed Size: Whatever size, we define at the time of declaration of array, we can't exceed
the limit. So, it doesn't grow the size dynamically like LinkedList which we will learn later.

Declaration of C Array
We can declare an array in the c language in the following way.

1. data_type array_name[array_size];
Now, let us see the example to declare array.

1. int marks[5];
Here, int is the data_type, marks is the array_name and 5 is the array_size.

Initialization of C Array
A simple way to initialize array is by index. Notice that array index starts from 0 and ends
with [SIZE - 1].

1. marks[0]=80;//initialization of array
2. marks[1]=60;
3. marks[2]=70;
4. marks[3]=85;
5. marks[4]=75;

C array example
1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=0;
5. int marks[5];//declaration of array
6. clrscr();
7.
8. marks[0]=80;//initialization of array
9. marks[1]=60;
10. marks[2]=70;
11. marks[3]=85;
12. marks[4]=75;
13.
14. //traversal of array
15. for(i=0;i<5;i++){
16. printf("%d \n",marks[i]);
17. }//end of for loop
18.
19. getch();
20. }

Output
80
60
70
85
75

C Array: Declaration with Initialization

We can initialize the c array at the time of declaration. Let's see the code.

1. int marks[5]={20,30,40,50,60};
In such case, there is no requirement to define size. So it can also be written as the
following code.

1. int marks[]={20,30,40,50,60};
Let's see the full program to declare and initialize the array in C.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=0;
5. int marks[5]={20,30,40,50,60};//declaration and initialization of array
6. clrscr();
7.
8. //traversal of array
9. for(i=0;i<5;i++){
10. printf("%d \n",marks[i]);
11. }
12.
13. getch();
14. }

Output
20
30
40
50
60

Two Dimensional Array in C

The two dimensional array in C language is represented in the form of rows and columns,
also known as matrix. It is also known as array of arrays or list of arrays.

The two dimensional, three dimensional or other dimensional arrays are also known
as multidimensional arrays.

Declaration of two dimensional Array in C

We can declare an array in the c language in the following way.

1. data_type array_name[size1][size2];
A simple example to declare two dimensional array is given below.

1. int twodimen[4][3];
Here, 4 is the row number and 3 is the column number.

Initialization of 2D Array in C
A way to initialize the two dimensional array at the time of declaration is given below.
1. int arr[4][3]={{1,2,3},{2,3,4},{3,4,5},{4,5,6}};

Two dimensional array example in C

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i=0,j=0;
5. int arr[4][3]={{1,2,3},{2,3,4},{3,4,5},{4,5,6}};
6. clrscr();
7.
8. //traversing 2D array
9. for(i=0;i<4;i++){
10. for(j=0;j<3;j++){
11. printf("arr[%d] [%d] = %d \n",i,j,arr[i][j]);
12. }//end of j
13. }//end of i
14.
15. getch();
16. }

Output
arr[0][0] = 1
arr[0][1] = 2
arr[0][2] = 3
arr[1][0] = 2
arr[1][1] = 3
arr[1][2] = 4
arr[2][0] = 3
arr[2][1] = 4
arr[2][2] = 5
arr[3][0] = 4
arr[3][1] = 5
arr[3][2] = 6

Passing Array to Function in C

To reuse the array operation, we can create functions that receives array as argument. To
pass array in function, we need to write the array name only in the function call.

1. functionname(arrayname);//passing array
There are 3 ways to declare function that receives array as argument.
 First way:

1. return_type function(type arrayname[])

Declaring blank subscript notation [] is the widely used technique.

Second way:

1. return_type function(type arrayname[SIZE])

Optionally, we can define size in subscript notation [].

Third way:

1. return_type function(type *arrayname)

You can also use the concept of pointer. In pointer chapter, we will learn about it.

C language passing array to function example

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. int minarray(int arr[],int size){
4. int min=arr[0];
5. int i=0;
6. for(i=1;i<size;i++){
7. if(min>arr[i]){
8. min=arr[i];
9. }
10. }//end of for
11. return min;
12. }//end of function
13.
14. void main(){
15. int i=0,min=0;
16. int numbers[]={4,5,7,3,8,9};//declaration of array
17. clrscr();
18.
19. min=minarray(numbers,6);//passing array with size
20. printf("minimum number is %d \n",min);
21.
22. getch();
23. }

Output
minimum number is 3

C Pointers
The pointer in C language is a variable, it is also known as locator or indicator that points
to an address of a value.

Advantage of pointer
1) Pointer reduces the code and improves the performance, it is used to retrieving
strings, trees etc. and used with arrays, structures and functions.

2) We can return multiple values from function using pointer.

3) It makes you able to access any memory location in the computer's memory.

Usage of pointer
There are many usage of pointers in c language.

1) Dynamic memory allocation

In c language, we can dynamically allocate memory using malloc() and calloc() functions
where pointer is used.

2) Arrays, Functions and Structures

Pointers in c language are widely used in arrays, functions and structures. It reduces the
code and improves the performance.

Symbols used in pointer

 Symbol Name Description

& (ampersand sign) address of operator determines the address of a variab

* (asterisk sign) indirection operator accesses the value at the address.

Address Of Operator
The address of operator '&' returns the address of a variable. But, we need to use %u to
display the address of a variable.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=50;
5. clrscr();
6. printf("value of number is %d, address of number is %u",number,&number);
7. getch();
8. }

Output
value of number is 50, address of number is fff4

Declaring a pointer
The pointer in c language can be declared using * (asterisk symbol).

1. int *a;//pointer to int

2. char *c;//pointer to char

Pointer example
An example of using pointers printing the address and value is given below.
 As you can see in the above figure, pointer variable stores the address of number variable
i.e. fff4. The value of number variable is 50. But the address of pointer variable p is aaa3.

By the help of * (indirection operator), we can print the value of pointer variable p.

Let's see the pointer example as explained for above figure.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=50;
5. int *p;
6. clrscr();
7. p=&number;//stores the address of number variable
8.
9. printf("Address of number variable is %x \n",&number);
10. printf("Address of p variable is %x \n",p);
11. printf("Value of p variable is %d \n",*p);
12.
13. getch();
14. }

Output
Address of number variable is fff4
Address of p variable is fff4
Value of p variable is 50

NULL Pointer
 A pointer that is not assigned any value but NULL is known as NULL pointer. If you don't
have any address to be specified in the pointer at the time of declaration, you can assign
NULL value. It will a better approach.

int *p=NULL;
In most the libraries, the value of pointer is 0 (zero).

Pointer Program to swap 2 numbers without using 3rd

variable
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int a=10,b=20,*p1=&a,*p2=&b;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. printf("Before swap: *p1=%d *p2=%d",*p1,*p2);
8. *p1=*p1+*p2;
9. *p2=*p1-*p2;
10. *p1=*p1-*p2;
11. printf("\nAfter swap: *p1=%d *p2=%d",*p1,*p2);
12.
13. getch();
14. }

Output
Before swap: *p1=10 *p2=20
After swap: *p1=20 *p2=10

C Pointer to Pointer
In C pointer to pointer concept, a pointer refers to the address of another pointer.

In c language, a pointer can point to the address of another pointer which points to the
address of a value. Let's understand it by the diagram given below:
 Let's see the syntax of pointer to pointer.

1. int **p2;

C pointer to pointer example

Let's see an example where one pointer points to the address of another pointer.

As you can see in the above figure, p2 contains the address of p (fff2) and p contains the
address of number variable (fff4).

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int number=50;
5. int *p;//pointer to int
6. int **p2;//pointer to pointer
7. clrscr();
8. p=&number;//stores the address of number variable
9. p2=&p;
10.
11. printf("Address of number variable is %x \n",&number);
12. printf("Address of p variable is %x \n",p);
13. printf("Value of *p variable is %d \n",*p);
14. printf("Address of p2 variable is %x \n",p2);
15. printf("Value of **p2 variable is %d \n",**p);
16.
17. getch();
18. }

Output
Address of number variable is fff4
Address of p variable is fff4
Value of *p variable is 50
Address of p2 variable is fff2
Value of **p variable is 50

Pointer Arithmetic in C
In C pointer holds address of a value, so there can be arithmetic operations on the pointer
variable. Following arithmetic operations are possible on pointer in C language:

o Increment

o Decrement

o Addition

o Subtraction

o Comparison

Incrementing Pointer in C
Incrementing a pointer is used in array because it is contiguous memory location. Moreover,
we know the value of next location.

Increment operation depends on the data type of the pointer variable. The formula of
incrementing pointer is given below:

1. new_address= current_address + i * size_of(data type)

32 bit
For 32 bit int variable, it will increment to 2 byte.

64 bit
For 64 bit int variable, it will increment to 4 byte.

Let's see the example of incrementing pointer variable on 64 bit OS.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. int number=50;
4. int *p;//pointer to int
5. p=&number;//stores the address of number variable
6.
7. printf("Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
8. p=p+1;
9. printf("After increment: Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
10. }

Output
Address of p variable is 3214864300
After increment: Address of p variable is 3214864304

Decrementing Pointer in C
Like increment, we can decrement a pointer variable. The formula of decrementing pointer
is given below:

1. new_address= current_address - i * size_of(data type)

32 bit
For 32 bit int variable, it will decrement to 2 byte.

64 bit
For 64 bit int variable, it will decrement to 4 byte.

Let's see the example of decrementing pointer variable on 64 bit OS.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. int number=50;
4. int *p;//pointer to int
5. p=&number;//stores the address of number variable
6.
7. printf("Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
8. p=p-1;
9. printf("After decrement: Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
10. }
 Output
Address of p variable is 3214864300
After decrement: Address of p variable is 3214864296

C Pointer Addition
We can add a value to the pointer variable. The formula of adding value to pointer is given
below:

1. new_address= current_address + (number * size_of(data type))

32 bit
For 32 bit int variable, it will add 2 * number.

64 bit
For 64 bit int variable, it will add 4 * number.

Let's see the example of adding value to pointer variable on 64 bit OS.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. int number=50;
4. int *p;//pointer to int
5. p=&number;//stores the address of number variable
6.
7. printf("Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
8. p=p+3; //adding 3 to pointer variable
9. printf("After adding 3: Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
10. }

Output
Address of p variable is 3214864300
After adding 3: Address of p variable is 3214864312
As you can see, address of p is 3214864300. But after adding 3 with p variable, it is
3214864312 i.e. 4*3=12 increment. Since we are using 64 bit OS, it increments 12. But if
we were using 32 bit OS, it were incrementing to 6 only i.e. 2*3=6. As integer value
occupies 2 byte memory in 32 bit OS.

C Pointer Subtraction
 Like pointer addition, we can subtract a value from the pointer variable. The formula of
subtracting value from pointer variable is given below:

1. new_address= current_address - (number * size_of(data type))

32 bit
For 32 bit int variable, it will subtract 2 * number.

64 bit
For 64 bit int variable, it will subtract 4 * number.

Let's see the example of subtracting value from pointer variable on 64 bit OS.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. int number=50;
4. int *p;//pointer to int
5. p=&number;//stores the address of number variable
6.
7. printf("Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
8. p=p-3; //subtracting 3 from pointer variable
9. printf("After subtracting 3: Address of p variable is %u \n",p);
10. }

Output
Address of p variable is 3214864300
After subtracting 3: Address of p variable is 3214864288
You can see after subtracting 3 from pointer variable, it is 12 (4*3) less than the previous
address value.

Dynamic memory allocation in C

The concept of dynamic memory allocation in c language enables the C programmer to
allocate memory at runtime. Dynamic memory allocation in c language is possible by 4
functions of stdlib.h header file.

1. malloc()

2. calloc()

3. realloc()
 4. free()

Before learning above functions, let's understand the difference between static memory
allocation and dynamic memory allocation.

static memory allocation dynamic memory allocation

memory is allocated at compile time. memory is allocated at run time.

memory can't be increased while executing program. memory can be increased while execut

used in array. used in linked list.

Now let's have a quick look at the methods used for dynamic memory allocation.

malloc() allocates single block of requested memory.

calloc() allocates multiple block of requested memory.

realloc() reallocates the memory occupied by malloc() or calloc() functions.

free() frees the dynamically allocated memory.

malloc() function in C
The malloc() function allocates single block of requested memory.

It doesn't initialize memory at execution time, so it has garbage value initially.

It returns NULL if memory is not sufficient.

The syntax of malloc() function is given below:

1. ptr=(cast-type*)malloc(byte-size)

Let's see the example of malloc() function.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <stdlib.h>
3. void main(){
4. int n,i,*ptr,sum=0;
5. printf("Enter number of elements: ");
6. scanf("%d",&n);
7. ptr=(int*)malloc(n*sizeof(int)); //memory allocated using malloc
8. if(ptr==NULL)
9. {
10. printf("Sorry! unable to allocate memory");
11. exit(0);
12. }
13. printf("Enter elements of array: ");
14. for(i=0;i<n;++i)
15. {
16. scanf("%d",ptr+i);
17. sum+=*(ptr+i);
18. }
19. printf("Sum=%d",sum);
20. free(ptr);
21. }

Output:

Enter elements of array: 3

Enter elements of array: 10
10
10
Sum=30

calloc() function in C
The calloc() function allocates multiple block of requested memory.

It initially initialize all bytes to zero.

It returns NULL if memory is not sufficient.

The syntax of calloc() function is given below:

1. ptr=(cast-type*)calloc(number, byte-size)

Let's see the example of calloc() function.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <stdlib.h>
3. void main(){
4. int n,i,*ptr,sum=0;
5. printf("Enter number of elements: ");
6. scanf("%d",&n);
7. ptr=(int*)calloc(n,sizeof(int)); //memory allocated using calloc
8. if(ptr==NULL)
9. {
10. printf("Sorry! unable to allocate memory");
11. exit(0);
12. }
13. printf("Enter elements of array: ");
14. for(i=0;i<n;++i)
15. {
16. scanf("%d",ptr+i);
17. sum+=*(ptr+i);
18. }
19. printf("Sum=%d",sum);
20. free(ptr);
21. }

Output:

Enter elements of array: 3

Enter elements of array: 10
10
10
Sum=30

realloc() function in C
If memory is not sufficient for malloc() or calloc(), you can reallocate the memory by
realloc() function. In short, it changes the memory size.

Let's see the syntax of realloc() function.

1. ptr=realloc(ptr, new-size)

free() function in C
 The memory occupied by malloc() or calloc() functions must be released by calling free()
function. Otherwise, it will consume memory until program exit.

Let's see the syntax of free() function.

1. free(ptr)

Structure in C
Structure in c language is a user defined datatype that allows you to hold different type
of elements.

Each element of a structure is called a member.

It works like a template in C++ and class in Java. You can have different type of elements in
it.

It is widely used to store student information, employee information, product information,

book information etc.

Defining structure
The struct keyword is used to define structure. Let's see the syntax to define structure in c.

1. struct structure_name
2. {
3. data_type member1;
4. data_type member2;
5. .
6. .
7. data_type memeberN;
8. };
Let's see the example to define structure for employee in c.

1. struct employee
2. { int id;
3. char name[50];
4. float salary;
5. };
 Here, struct is the keyword, employee is the tag name of
structure; id, name and salary are the members or fields of the structure. Let's
understand it by the diagram given below:

Declaring structure variable

We can declare variable for the structure, so that we can access the member of structure
easily. There are two ways to declare structure variable:

1. By struct keyword within main() function

2. By declaring variable at the time of defining structure.

1st way:

Let's see the example to declare structure variable by struct keyword. It should be declared
within the main function.

1. struct employee
2. { int id;
3. char name[50];
4. float salary;
5. };
Now write given code inside the main() function.

1. struct employee e1, e2;

2nd way:

Let's see another way to declare variable at the time of defining structure.
1. struct employee
2. { int id;
3. char name[50];
4. float salary;
5. }e1,e2;

Which approach is good

But if no. of variable are not fixed, use 1st approach. It provides you flexibility to declare
the structure variable many times.

If no. of variables are fixed, use 2nd approach. It saves your code to declare variable in
main() fuction.

Accessing members of structure

There are two ways to access structure members:

1. By . (member or dot operator)

2. By -> (structure pointer operator)

Let's see the code to access the id member of p1 variable by . (member) operator.

1. p1.id

C Structure example
Let's see a simple example of structure in C language.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <string.h>
3. struct employee
4. { int id;
5. char name[50];
6. }e1; //declaring e1 variable for structure
7. int main( )
8. {
9. //store first employee information
10. e1.id=101;
11. strcpy(e1.name, "Sonoo Jaiswal");//copying string into char array
12. //printing first employee information
13. printf( "employee 1 id : %d\n", e1.id);
14. printf( "employee 1 name : %s\n", e1.name);
15. return 0;
16. }
Output:

employee 1 id : 101
employee 1 name : Sonoo Jaiswal
Let's see another example of structure in C language to store many employees information.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <string.h>
3. struct employee
4. { int id;
5. char name[50];
6. float salary;
7. }e1,e2; //declaring e1 and e2 variables for structure
8. int main( )
9. {
10. //store first employee information
11. e1.id=101;
12. strcpy(e1.name, "Sonoo Jaiswal");//copying string into char array
13. e1.salary=56000;
14.
15. //store second employee information
16. e2.id=102;
17. strcpy(e2.name, "James Bond");
18. e2.salary=126000;
19.
20. //printing first employee information
21. printf( "employee 1 id : %d\n", e1.id);
22. printf( "employee 1 name : %s\n", e1.name);
23. printf( "employee 1 salary : %f\n", e1.salary);
24.
25. //printing second employee information
26. printf( "employee 2 id : %d\n", e2.id);
27. printf( "employee 2 name : %s\n", e2.name);
28. printf( "employee 2 salary : %f\n", e2.salary);
29.
30. return 0;
31. }
Output:

employee 1 id : 101
employee 1 name : Sonoo Jaiswal
employee 1 salary : 56000.000000
employee 2 id : 102
employee 2 name : James Bond
employee 2 salary : 126000.000000

Array of Structures in C
There can be array of structures in C programming to store many information of different
data types. The array of structures is also known as collection of structures.

Let's see an example of structure with array that stores information of 5 students and prints
it.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. #include<string.h>
4. struct student{
5. int rollno;
6. char name[10];
7. };
8. void main(){
9. int i;
10. struct student st[5];
11. clrscr();
12. printf("Enter Records of 5 students");
13.
14. for(i=0;i<5;i++){
15. printf("\nEnter Rollno:");
16. scanf("%d",&st[i].rollno);
17. printf("\nEnter Name:");
18. scanf("%s",&st[i].name);
19. }
20.
21. printf("\nStudent Information List:");
22. for(i=0;i<5;i++){
23. printf("\nRollno:%d, Name:%s",st[i].rollno,st[i].name);
24. }
25.
26. getch();
27. }

Output:

Enter Records of 5 students

Enter Rollno:1
Enter Name:Sonoo
Enter Rollno:2
Enter Name:Ratan
Enter Rollno:3
Enter Name:Vimal
Enter Rollno:4
Enter Name:James
Enter Rollno:5
Enter Name:Sarfraz

Student Information List:

Rollno:1, Name:Sonoo
Rollno:2, Name:Ratan
Rollno:3, Name:Vimal
Rollno:4, Name:James
Rollno:5, Name:Sarfraz

Nested Structure in C
Nested structure in c language can have another structure as a member. There are two
ways to define nested structure in c language:

1. By separate structure

2. By Embedded structure

1) Separate structure
We can create 2 structures, but dependent structure should be used inside the main
structure as a member. Let's see the code of nested structure.

1. struct Date
2. {
3. int dd;
4. int mm;
5. int yyyy;
6. };
7. struct Employee
8. {
9. int id;
10. char name[20];
11. struct Date doj;
12. }emp1;
As you can see, doj (date of joining) is the variable of type Date. Here doj is used as a
member in Employee structure. In this way, we can use Date structure in many structures.

2) Embedded structure
We can define structure within the structure also. It requires less code than previous way.
But it can't be used in many structures.

1. struct Employee
2. {
3. int id;
4. char name[20];
5. struct Date
6. {
7. int dd;
8. int mm;
9. int yyyy;
10. }doj;
11. }emp1;

Accessing Nested Structure

We can access the member of nested structure by
Outer_Structure.Nested_Structure.member as given below:

1. e1.doj.dd
2. e1.doj.mm
3. e1.doj.yyyy
 C Nested Structure example
Let's see a simple example of nested structure in C language.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <string.h>
3. struct Employee
4. {
5. int id;
6. char name[20];
7. struct Date
8. {
9. int dd;
10. int mm;
11. int yyyy;
12. }doj;
13. }e1;
14. int main( )
15. {
16. //storing employee information
17. e1.id=101;
18. strcpy(e1.name, "Sonoo Jaiswal");//copying string into char array
19. e1.doj.dd=10;
20. e1.doj.mm=11;
21. e1.doj.yyyy=2014;
22.
23. //printing first employee information
24. printf( "employee id : %d\n", e1.id);
25. printf( "employee name : %s\n", e1.name);
26. printf( "employee date of joining (dd/mm/yyyy) : %d/%d/%d\n", e1.doj.dd,
e1.doj.mm,e1.doj.yyyy);
27. return 0;
28. }
Output:

employee id : 101
employee name : Sonoo Jaiswal
employee date of joining (dd/mm/yyyy) : 10/11/2014
 C Union
Like structure, Union in c language is a user defined datatype that is used to hold
different type of elements.

But it doesn't occupy sum of all members size. It occupies the memory of largest member
only. It shares memory of largest member.

Advantage of union over structure

It occupies less memory because it occupies the memory of largest member only.

Disadvantage of union over structure

It can store data in one member only.

Defining union
The union keyword is used to define union. Let's see the syntax to define union in c.

1. union union_name
2. {
3. data_type member1;
4. data_type member2;
5. .
6. .
7. data_type memeberN;
8. };
Let's see the example to define union for employee in c.

1. union employee
2. { int id;
3. char name[50];
4. float salary;
5. };

C Union example
Let's see a simple example of union in C language.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <string.h>
3. union employee
4. { int id;
5. char name[50];
6. }e1; //declaring e1 variable for union
7. int main( )
8. {
9. //store first employee information
10. e1.id=101;
11. strcpy(e1.name, "Sonoo Jaiswal");//copying string into char array
12. //printing first employee information
13. printf( "employee 1 id : %d\n", e1.id);
14. printf( "employee 1 name : %s\n", e1.name);
15. return 0;
16. }
Output:

employee 1 id : 1869508435
employee 1 name : Sonoo Jaiswal
As you can see, id gets garbage value because name has large memory size. So only name
will have actual value.

File Handling in C
File Handling in c language is used to open, read, write, search or close file. It is used for
permanent storage.
 Advantage of File
It will contain the data even after program exit. Normally we use variable or array to store
data, but data is lost after program exit. Variables and arrays are non-permanent storage
medium whereas file is permanent storage medium.

Functions for file handling

There are many functions in C library to open, read, write, search and close file. A list of file
functions are given below:

No. Function Description

1 fopen() opens new or existing file

2 fprintf() write data into file

3 fscanf() reads data from file

4 fputc() writes a character into file

5 fgetc() reads a character from file

6 fclose() closes the file

7 fseek() sets the file pointer to given position

8 fputw() writes an integer to file

9 fgetw() reads an integer from file

10 ftell() returns current position

11 rewind() sets the file pointer to the beginning of the file

Opening File: fopen()

The fopen() function is used to open a file. The syntax of fopen() function is given below:

1. FILE *fopen( const char * filename, const char * mode );

 You can use one of the following modes in the fopen() function.

Mode Description

r opens a text file in read mode

w opens a text file in write mode

a opens a text file in append mode

r+ opens a text file in read and write mode

w+ opens a text file in read and write mode

a+ opens a text file in read and write mode

rb opens a binary file in read mode

wb opens a binary file in write mode

ab opens a binary file in append mode

rb+ opens a binary file in read and write mode

wb+ opens a binary file in read and write mode

ab+ opens a binary file in read and write mode

Closing File: fclose()

The fclose() function is used to close a file. The syntax of fclose() function is given below:

1. int fclose( FILE *fp );

C fprintf() and fscanf()

C fprintf() and fscanf() example

C fputc() and fgetc()

C fputc() and fgetc() example
 C fputs() and fgets()
C fputs() and fgets() example

C fseek()

C fseek() example C fprintf() and fscanf()

Writing File : fprintf() function

The fprintf() function is used to write set of characters into file. It sends formatted output to
a stream.

Syntax:

1. int fprintf(FILE *stream, const char *format [, argument, ...])

Example:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. main(){
3. FILE *fp;
4. fp = fopen("file.txt", "w");//opening file
5. fprintf(fp, "Hello file by fprintf...\n");//writing data into file
6. fclose(fp);//closing file
7. }

Reading File : fscanf() function

The fscanf() function is used to read set of characters from file. It reads a word from the file
and returns EOF at the end of file.

Syntax:

1. int fscanf(FILE *stream, const char *format [, argument, ...])

 Example:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. main(){
3. FILE *fp;
4. char buff[255];//creating char array to store data of file
5. fp = fopen("file.txt","r");
6. while(fscanf(fp, "%s", buff)!=EOF){
7. printf("%s ", buff );
8. }
9. fclose(fp);
10. }

Output:

Hello file by fprintf...

C File Example: Storing employee information

Let's see a file handling example to store employee information as entered by user from
console. We are going to store id, name and salary of the employee.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main()
3. {
4. FILE *fptr;
5. int id;
6. char name[30];
7. float salary;
8. fptr = fopen("emp.txt", "w+");/* open for writing */
9. if (fptr == NULL)
10. {
11. printf("File does not exists \n");
12. return;
13. }
14. printf("Enter the id\n");
15. scanf("%d", &id);
16. fprintf(fptr, "Id= %d\n", id);
17. printf("Enter the name \n");
18. scanf("%s", name);
19. fprintf(fptr, "Name= %s\n", name);
20. printf("Enter the salary\n");
21. scanf("%f", &salary);
22. fprintf(fptr, "Salary= %.2f\n", salary);
23. fclose(fptr);
24. }

Output:

Enter the id
1
Enter the name
sonoo
Enter the salary
120000

Now open file from current directory. For windows operating system, go to TC\bin directory,
you will see emp.txt file. It will have following information.

emp.txt

Id= 1
Name= sonoo
Salary= 120000

C fputc() and fgetc()

Writing File : fputc() function

The fputc() function is used to write a single character into file. It outputs a character to a
stream.

Syntax:

1. int fputc(int c, FILE *stream)

Example:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. main(){
3. FILE *fp;
4. fp = fopen("file1.txt", "w");//opening file
5. fputc('a',fp);//writing single character into file
6. fclose(fp);//closing file
7. }

file1.txt

Reading File : fgetc() function

The fgetc() function returns a single character from the file. It gets a character from the
stream. It returns EOF at the end of file.

Syntax:

1. int fgetc(FILE *stream)

Example:

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. FILE *fp;
5. char c;
6. clrscr();
7. fp=fopen("myfile.txt","r");
8.
9. while((c=fgetc(fp))!=EOF){
10. printf("%c",c);
11. }
12. fclose(fp);
13. getch();
14. }

myfile.txt

this is simple text message

 C fputs() and fgets()
The fputs() and fgets() in C programming are used to write and read string from stream.
Let's see examples of writing and reading file using fgets() and fgets() functions.

Writing File : fputs() function

The fputs() function writes a line of characters into file. It outputs string to a stream.

Syntax:

1. int fputs(const char *s, FILE *stream)

Example:

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. FILE *fp;
5. clrscr();
6.
7. fp=fopen("myfile2.txt","w");
8. fputs("hello c programming",fp);
9.
10. fclose(fp);
11. getch();
12. }

myfile2.txt

hello c programming

Reading File : fgets() function

The fgets() function reads a line of characters from file. It gets string from a stream.

Syntax:
1. char* fgets(char *s, int n, FILE *stream)

Example:

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. FILE *fp;
5. char text[300];
6. clrscr();
7.
8. fp=fopen("myfile2.txt","r");
9. printf("%s",fgets(text,200,fp));
10.
11. fclose(fp);
12. getch();
13. }

Output:

hello c programming

C fseek() function
The fseek() function is used to set the file pointer to the specified offset. It is used to write
data into file at desired location.

Syntax:

1. int fseek(FILE *stream, long int offset, int whence)

There are 3 constants used in the fseek() function for whence: SEEK_SET, SEEK_CUR and
SEEK_END.

Example:

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. FILE *fp;
4.
5. fp = fopen("myfile.txt","w+");
6. fputs("This is javatpoint", fp);
7.
8. fseek( fp, 7, SEEK_SET );
9. fputs("sonoo jaiswal", fp);
10. fclose(fp);
11. }

myfile.txt

This is sonoo jaiswal

C rewind() function
The rewind() function sets the file pointer at the beginning of the stream. It is useful if you
have to use stream many times.

Syntax:

1. void rewind(FILE *stream)

Example:

File: file.txt

1. this is a simple text

File: rewind.c

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. FILE *fp;
5. char c;
6. clrscr();
7. fp=fopen("file.txt","r");
8.
9. while((c=fgetc(fp))!=EOF){
10. printf("%c",c);
11. }
12.
13. rewind(fp);//moves the file pointer at beginning of the file
14.
15. while((c=fgetc(fp))!=EOF){
16. printf("%c",c);
17. }
18.
19. fclose(fp);
20. getch();
21. }

Output:

this is a simple textthis is a simple text

As you can see, rewind() function moves the file pointer at beginning of the file that is why
"this is simple text" is printed 2 times. If you don't call rewind() function, "this is simple
text" will be printed only once.

C ftell() function
The ftell() function returns the current file position of the specified stream. We can use
ftell() function to get the total size of a file after moving file pointer at the end of file. We
can use SEEK_END constant to move the file pointer at the end of file.

Syntax:

1. long int ftell(FILE *stream)

Example:

File: ftell.c

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main (){
4. FILE *fp;
5. int length;
6. clrscr();
7. fp = fopen("file.txt", "r");
8. fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_END);
9.
10. length = ftell(fp);
11.
12. fclose(fp);
13. printf("Size of file: %d bytes", length);
14. getch();
15. }

Output:

Size of file: 21 bytes

C Preprocessor Directives
The C preprocessor is a micro processor that is used by compiler to transform your code
before compilation. It is called micro preprocessor because it allows us to add macros.

Note: Proprocessor direcives are executed before compilation.

All preprocessor directives starts with hash # symbol.

Let's see a list of preprocessor directives.

o #include
 o #define

o #undef

o #ifdef

o #ifndef

o #if

o #else

o #elif

o #endif

o #error

o #pragma

What is Macro
Please visit next page.

next prev

C Macros
A macro is a segment of code which is replaced by the value of macro. Macro is defined
by #define directive. There are two types of macros:

1. Object-like Macros

2. Function-like Macros

Object-like Macros

The object-like macro is an identifier that is replaced by value. It is widely used to

represent numeric constants. For example:
1. #define PI 3.14

Here, PI is the macro name which will be replaced by the value 3.14.

Function-like Macros

The function-like macro looks like function call. For example:

1. #define MIN(a,b) ((a)<(b)?(a):(b))

Here, MIN is the macro name.

Visit #define to see the full example of object-like and function-like macros.

C Predefined Macros
ANSI C defines many predefined macros that can be used in c program.

No. Macro Description

1 _DATE_ represents current date in "MMM DD YYYY" format.

2 _TIME_ represents current time in "HH:MM:SS" format.

3 _FILE_ represents current file name.

4 _LINE_ represents current line number.

5 _STDC_ It is defined as 1 when compiler complies with the ANSI standard.

C predefined macros example

File: simple.c

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. main() {
3. printf("File:%s\n", __FILE__ );
4. printf("Date :%s\n", __DATE__ );
 5. printf("Time :%s\n", __TIME__ );
6. printf("Line :%d\n", __LINE__ );
7. printf("STDC :%d\n", __STDC__ );
8. }

Output:

File :simple.c
Date :Dec 6 2015
Time :12:28:46
Line :6
STDC :1

C #include
The #include preprocessor directive is used to paste code of given file into current file. It is
used include system-defined and user-defined header files. If included file is not found,
compiler renders error.

By the use of #include directive, we provide information to the preprocessor where to look
for the header files. There are two variants to use #include directive.

1. #include <filename>

2. #include "filename"

The #include <filename> tells the compiler to look for the directory where system header
files are held. In UNIX, it is \usr\include directory.

The #include "filename" tells the compiler to look in the current directory from where
program is running.

#include directive example

Let's see a simple example of #include directive. In this program, we are including stdio.h
file because printf() function is defined in this file.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. main() {
3. printf("Hello C");
4. }
 Output:

Hello C

#include notes:
Note 1: In #include directive, comments are not recognized. So in case of #include
<a//b>, a//b is treated as filename.

Note 2: In #include directive, backslash is considered as normal text not escape sequence.
So in case of #include <a\nb>, a\nb is treated as filename.

Note 3: You can use only comment after filename otherwise it will give error.

C #define
The #define preprocessor directive is used to define constant or micro substitution. It can
use any basic data type.

Syntax:

1. #define token value

Let's see an example of #define to define a constant.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #define PI 3.14
3. main() {
4. printf("%f",PI);
5. }

Output:

3.140000

Let's see an example of #define to create a macro.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #define MIN(a,b) ((a)<(b)?(a):(b))
3. void main() {
4. printf("Minimum between 10 and 20 is: %d\n", MIN(10,20));
5. }
 Output:

Minimum between 10 and 20 is: 10

C #undef
The #undef preprocessor directive is used to undefine the constant or macro defined by
#define.

Syntax:

1. #undef token

Let's see a simple example to define and undefine a constant.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #define PI 3.14
3. #undef PI
4. main() {
5. printf("%f",PI);
6. }

Output:

Compile Time Error: 'PI' undeclared

The #undef directive is used to define the preprocessor constant to a limited scope so that
you can declare constant again.

Let's see an example where we are defining and undefining number variable. But before
being undefined, it was used by square variable.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #define number 15
3. int square=number*number;
4. #undef number
5. main() {
6. printf("%d",square);
7. }

Output:

225
 C #ifdef
The #ifdef preprocessor directive checks if macro is defined by #define. If yes, it executes
the code otherwise #else code is executed, if present.

Syntax:

1. #ifdef MACRO
2. //code
3. #endif

Syntax with #else:

1. #ifdef MACRO
2. //successful code
3. #else
4. //else code
5. #endif

C #ifdef example
Let's see a simple example to use #ifdef preprocessor directive.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. #define NOINPUT
4. void main() {
5. int a=0;
6. #ifdef NOINPUT
7. a=2;
8. #else
9. printf("Enter a:");
10. scanf("%d", &a);
11. #endif
12. printf("Value of a: %d\n", a);
13. getch();
14. }

Output:
 Value of a: 2

But, if you don't define NOINPUT, it will ask user to enter a number.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main() {
4. int a=0;
5. #ifdef NOINPUT
6. a=2;
7. #else
8. printf("Enter a:");
9. scanf("%d", &a);
10. #endif
11.
12. printf("Value of a: %d\n", a);
13. getch();
14. }

Output:

Enter a:5
Value of a: 5

C #ifndef
The #ifndef preprocessor directive checks if macro is not defined by #define. If yes, it
executes the code otherwise #else code is executed, if present.

Syntax:

1. #ifndef MACRO
2. //code
3. #endif

Syntax with #else:

1. #ifndef MACRO
2. //successful code
3. #else
4. //else code
5. #endif
 C #ifndef example
Let's see a simple example to use #ifndef preprocessor directive.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. #define INPUT
4. void main() {
5. int a=0;
6. #ifndef INPUT
7. a=2;
8. #else
9. printf("Enter a:");
10. scanf("%d", &a);
11. #endif
12. printf("Value of a: %d\n", a);
13. getch();
14. }

Output:

Enter a:5
Value of a: 5

But, if you don't define INPUT, it will execute the code of #ifndef.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. void main() {
4. int a=0;
5. #ifndef INPUT
6. a=2;
7. #else
8. printf("Enter a:");
9. scanf("%d", &a);
10. #endif
11. printf("Value of a: %d\n", a);
12. getch();
13. }
 Output:

Value of a: 2

C #if
The #if preprocessor directive evaluates the expression or condition. If condition is true, it
executes the code otherwise #elseif or #else or #endif code is executed.

Syntax:

1. #if expression
2. //code
3. #endif

Syntax with #else:

1. #if expression
2. //if code
3. #else
4. //else code
5. #endif

Syntax with #elif and #else:

1. #if expression
2. //if code
3. #elif expression
4. //elif code
5. #else
6. //else code
7. #endif

C #if example
Let's see a simple example to use #if preprocessor directive.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. #define NUMBER 0
4. void main() {
5. #if (NUMBER==0)
6. printf("Value of Number is: %d",NUMBER);
7. #endif
8. getch();
9. }

Output:

Value of Number is: 0

Let's see another example to understand the #if directive clearly.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. #define NUMBER 1
4. void main() {
5. clrscr();
6. #if (NUMBER==0)
7. printf("1 Value of Number is: %d",NUMBER);
8. #endif
9.
10. #if (NUMBER==1)
11. printf("2 Value of Number is: %d",NUMBER);
12. #endif
13. getch();
14. }

Output:

2 Value of Number is: 1

C #else
The #else preprocessor directive evaluates the expression or condition if condition of #if is
false. It can be used with #if, #elif, #ifdef and #ifndef directives.

Syntax:

1. #if expression
2. //if code
3. #else
4. //else code
5. #endif

Syntax with #elif:

1. #if expression
2. //if code
3. #elif expression
4. //elif code
5. #else
6. //else code
7. #endif

C #else example
Let's see a simple example to use #else preprocessor directive.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. #include <conio.h>
3. #define NUMBER 1
4. void main() {
5. #if NUMBER==0
6. printf("Value of Number is: %d",NUMBER);
7. #else
8. print("Value of Number is non-zero");
9. #endif
10. getch();
11. }

Output:

Value of Number is non-zero

C #error
The #error preprocessor directive indicates error. The compiler gives fatal error if #error
directive is found and skips further compilation process.

C #error example
 Let's see a simple example to use #error preprocessor directive.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #ifndef __MATH_H
3. #error First include then compile
4. #else
5. void main(){
6. float a;
7. a=sqrt(7);
8. printf("%f",a);
9. }
10. #endif

Output:

Compile Time Error: First include then compile

But, if you include math.h, it does not gives error.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<math.h>
3. #ifndef __MATH_H
4. #error First include then compile
5. #else
6. void main(){
7. float a;
8. a=sqrt(7);
9. printf("%f",a);
10. }
11. #endif

Output:

2.645751

C #pragma
The #pragma preprocessor directive is used to provide additional information to the
compiler. The #pragma directive is used by the compiler to offer machine or operating-
system feature.

Syntax:
1. #pragma token

Different compilers can provide different usage of #pragma directive.

The turbo C++ compiler supports following #pragma directives.

1. #pragma argsused
2. #pragma exit
3. #pragma hdrfile
4. #pragma hdrstop
5. #pragma inline
6. #pragma option
7. #pragma saveregs
8. #pragma startup
9. #pragma warn

Let's see a simple example to use #pragma preprocessor directive.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3.
4. void func() ;
5.
6. #pragma startup func
7. #pragma exit func
8.
9. void main(){
10. printf("\nI am in main");
11. getch();
12. }
13.
14. void func(){
15. printf("\nI am in func");
16. getch();
17. }

Output:

I am in func
I am in main
I am in func
 Command Line Arguments in C
The arguments passed from command line are called command line arguments. These
arguments are handled by main() function.

To support command line argument, you need to change the structure of main() function as
given below.

1. int main(int argc, char *argv[] )

Here, argc counts the number of arguments. It counts the file name as the first argument.

The argv[] contains the total number of arguments. The first argument is the file name
always.

Example
Let's see the example of command line arguments where we are passing one argument with
file name.

1. #include <stdio.h>
2. void main(int argc, char *argv[] ) {
3.
4. printf("Program name is: %s\n", argv[0]);
5.
6. if(argc < 2){
7. printf("No argument passed through command line.\n");
8. }
9. else{
10. printf("First argument is: %s\n", argv[1]);
11. }
12. }

Run this program as follows in Linux:

1. ./program hello

Run this program as follows in Windows from command line:

1. program.exe hello

Output:
 Program name is: program
First argument is: hello

If you pass many arguments, it will print only one.

1. ./program hello c how r u

Output:

Program name is: program

First argument is: hello

But if you pass many arguments within double quote, all arguments will be treated as a
single argument only.

1. ./program "hello c how r u"

Output:

Program name is: program

First argument is: hello c how r u

You can write your program to print all the arguments. In this program, we are printing only
argv[1], that is why it is printing only one argument.

C Programming Interview Questions

A list of top 50 frequently asked C programming interview questions and answers are given
below.

1) What is C language?
C is a mid level and procedural programming language. More details...

2) Why C is known as a mother language?

C is known as a mother language because most of the compilers, kernals and JVMs are
written in C language. More details...

3) Why C is called a mid level programming language?

It supports the feature of both low-level and high level languages that is why it is known as
a mid level programming language. More details...
4) Who is the founder of C language?
Dennis Ritchie. More details...

5) When C langauge was developed?

C language was developed in 1972 at bell laboratories of AT&T. More details...

6) What are the features of C language?

The main features of C language are given below:

o Simple

o Portable

o Mid Level

o Structured

o Fast Speed

o Memory Management

o Extensible

More details...

7) What is the use of printf() and scanf() functions?

The printf() function is used for output and scanf() function is used for input.

More details...

8) What is the difference between local variable and global

variable in C?
Local variable: A variable which is declared inside function or block is known as local
variable.
 Global variable: A variable which is declared outside function or block is known as global
variable.

1. int value=50;//global variable

2. void function1(){
3. int x=20;//local variable
4. }
More details...

9) What is the use of static variable in C?

A variable which is declared as static is known as static variable. The static variable retains
its value between multiple function calls.

1. void function1(){
2. int x=10;//local variable
3. static int y=10;//static variable
4. x=x+1;
5. y=y+1;
6. printf("%d\n",x);//will always print 11
7. printf("%d\n",y);//will always increment value, it will print 11, 12, 13 and so on
8. }
More details...

10) What is the use of function in C?

A function in C language provides modularity. It can be called many times. It saves code
and we can reuse the same code many times. More details...

11) What is the difference between call by value and call by

reference in C?
We can pass value to function by one of the two ways: call by value or call by reference. In
case of call by value, a copy of value is passed to the function, so original value is not
modified. But in case of call by reference, an address of value of passed to the function, so
original value is modified. More details...

12) What is recursion in C?

Calling the same function, inside function is known as recursion. For example:
1. void function1(){
2. function1();//calling same function
3. }
More details...

13) What is array in C?

Array is a group of similar types of elements. It has contiguous memory location. It makes
the code optimized, easy to traverse and easy to sort. More details...

14) What is pointer in C?

A pointer is a variable that refers to the address of a value. It makes the code optimized and
makes the performance fast. More details...

15) What are the usage of pointer in C?

o Accessing array elements

o Dynamic memory allocation

o Call by Reference

o Data Structures like tree, graph, linked list etc.

16) What is NULL pointer in C?

A pointer that doesn't refer to any address of a value but NULL, is known as NULL pointer.
For example:

1. int *p=NULL;
More details...

17) What is far pointer in C?

A pointer which can access all the 16 segments (whole residence memory) of RAM is known
as far pointer.
18) What is dangling pointer in C?
If a pointer is pointing any memory location but meanwhile another pointer deletes the
memory occupied by first pointer while first pointer still points to that memory location, first
pointer will be known as dangling pointer. This problem is known as dangling pointer
problem.

19) What is pointer to pointer in C?

In case of pointer to pointer concept, one pointer refers to the address of another
pointer. More details...

20) What is static memory allocation?

In case of static memory allocation, memory is allocated at compile time and memory can't
be increased while executing the program. It is used in array. More details...

21) What is dynamic memory allocation?

In case of dynamic memory allocation, memory is allocated at run time and memory can be
increased while executing the program. It is used in linked list. More details...

22) What functions are used for dynamic memory allocation

in C language?
1. malloc()

2. calloc()

3. realloc()

4. free()

More details...

23) What is the difference between malloc() and calloc()?

malloc(): The malloc() function allocates single block of requested memory. It has garbage
value initially.
 calloc(): The calloc() function allocates multiple block of requested memory. It initially
initializes all bytes to zero.

More details...

24) What is structure?

Structure is a user-defined data type that allows to store multiple types of data in a single
unit. It occupies the sum of memory of all members. More details...

25) What is union?

Like Structure, union is a user-defined data type that allows to store multiple types of data
in a single unit. But it doesn't occupies the sum of memory of all members. It occupies the
memory of largest member only. More details...

26) What is auto keyword in C?

In C, every local variable of a function is known as automatic (auto) variable. Let's explain
with an example:

1. void f()
2. {
3. int i ;
4. auto int j;
5. }
Here, both 'i' and 'j' variables are automatic variables.

Note: A global variable can't be an automatic variable.

27) What is the purpose of sprintf() function?

It is used to print the formatted output into char array.

28) Can we compile a program without main() function?

Yes, we can compile but it can't be executed.
 But, if we use #define, we can compile and run C program without using main() function.
For example:

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #define start main
3. void start() {
4. printf("Hello");
5. }
More details...

29) What is token?

Token is an identifier. It can be constant, keyword, string literal etc.

30) What is command line argument?

The argument passed to the main() function while executing the program is known as
command line argument. For example:

1. main(int count, char *args[]){

2. //code to be executed
3. }
More details...

31) What is the acronym for ANSI?

American National Standard Institute.

32) What is the difference between getch() and getche()?

The getch() function reads a single character from keyboard. It doesn't uses any buffer, so
entered data is not displayed on the output screen.

The getche() function reads a single character from keyword but data is displayed on the
output screen. Press Alt+f5 to see the entered character.

33) What is new line escape sequence?

The new line escape sequence is represented by "\n". It inserts a new line on the output
screen.
 More details...

34) Who is the main contributor in designing the C language

after Dennis Ritchie?
Brain Kernighan.

35) What is the difference between near, far and huge

pointers?
A virtual address is composed of selector and offset.

A near pointer doesn't have explicit selector whereas far and huge pointers have explicit
selector. When you perform pointer arithmetic on far pointer, selector is not modified but in
case of huge pointer it can be modified.

These are the non-standard keywords and implementation specific. These are irrelevant in
modern platform.

36) What is the maximum length of an identifier?

It is 32 characters ideally but implementation specific.

37) What is typecasting?

Converting one data type into another is known as typecasting. For example:

1. float f=3.4;
2. int a=(int)f;//typecasting

38) What are the functions to open and close file in C

language?
The fopen() function is used to open file whereas fclose() is used to close file.

39) Can we access array using pointer in C language?

Yes, by holding the base address of array into pointer, we can access the array using
pointer.
 40) What is infinite loop?
A loop running continuously for indefinite number of times is called infinite loop.

Infinite For Loop:

1. for(;;){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
Infinite While Loop:

1. while(1){
2. //code to be executed
3. }
Infinite Do-While Loop:

1. do{
2. //code to be executed
3. }while(1);

41) Write a program to print "hello world" without using

semicolon?
There are various ways to do so. Let's see a program to print "hello world" using if.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. if(printf("hello world")){}
4. }
More details...

42) Write a program to swap two numbers without using third

variable?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int a=10, b=20;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Before swap a=%d b=%d",a,b);
8.
9. a=a+b;//a=30 (10+20)
10. b=a-b;//b=10 (30-20)
11. a=a-b;//a=20 (30-10)
12.
13. printf("\nAfter swap a=%d b=%d",a,b);
14. getch();
15. }
More details...

43) Write a program to print fibonacci series without using

recursion?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main()
4. {
5. int n1=0,n2=1,n3,i,number;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter the number of elements:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9. printf("\n%d %d",n1,n2);//printing 0 and 1
10.
11. for(i=2;i<number;++i)//loop starts from 2 because 0 and 1 are already printed
12. {
13. n3=n1+n2;
14. printf(" %d",n3);
15. n1=n2;
16. n2=n3;
17. }
18. getch();
19. }
More details...
 44) Write a program to print fibonacci series using
recursion?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void printFibonacci(int n){
4. static int n1=0,n2=1,n3;
5. if(n>0){
6. n3 = n1 + n2;
7. n1 = n2;
8. n2 = n3;
9. printf("%d ",n3);
10. printFibonacci(n-1);
11. }
12. }
13. void main(){
14. int n;
15. clrscr();
16. printf("Enter the number of elements: ");
17. scanf("%d",&n);
18.
19. printf("Fibonacci Series: ");
20. printf("%d %d ",0,1);
21. printFibonacci(n-2);//n-2 because 2 numbers are already printed
22.
23. getch();
24. }
More details...

45) Write a program to check prime number in C

Programming?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main()
4. {
5. int n,i,m=0,flag=0;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter the number to check prime:");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. m=n/2;
10. for(i=2;i<=m;i++)
11. {
12. if(n%i==0)
13. {
14. printf("Number is not prime");
15. flag=1;
16. break;
17. }
18. }
19. if(flag==0)
20. printf("Number is prime");
21. getch();
22. }
More details...

46) Write a program to check palindrome number in C

Programming?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int n,r,sum=0,temp;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the number=");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. temp=n;
10. while(n>0)
11. {
12. r=n%10;
13. sum=(sum*10)+r;
14. n=n/10;
15. }
16. if(temp==sum)
17. printf("palindrome number ");
18. else
19. printf("not palindrome");
20. getch();
21. }
More details...

47) Write a program to print factorial of given number without

using recursion?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i,fact=1,number;
5. clrscr();
6. printf("Enter a number: ");
7. scanf("%d",&number);
8.
9. for(i=1;i<=number;i++){
10. fact=fact*i;
11. }
12. printf("Factorial of %d is: %d",number,fact);
13. getch();
14. }
More details...

48) Write a program to print factorial of given number using

recursion?
1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3.
4. long factorial(int n)
5. {
6. if (n == 0)
7. return 1;
8. else
9. return(n * factorial(n-1));
10. }
11.
12. void main()
13. {
14. int number;
15. long fact;
16. clrscr();
17. printf("Enter a number: ");
18. scanf("%d", &number);
19.
20. fact = factorial(number);
21. printf("Factorial of %d is %ld\n", number, fact);
22. getch();
23. }
More details...

49) Write a program to check armstrong number in C?

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int n,r,sum=0,temp;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the number=");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. temp=n;
10. while(n>0)
11. {
12. r=n%10;
13. sum=sum+(r*r*r);
14. n=n/10;
15. }
16. if(temp==sum)
17. printf("armstrong number ");
18. else
19. printf("not armstrong number");
20. getch();
21. }
More details...

50) Write a program to reverse a given number in C?

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int n, reverse=0, rem;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter a number: ");
8. scanf("%d", &n);
9. while(n!=0)
10. {
11. rem=n%10;
12. reverse=reverse*10+rem;
13. n/=10;
14. }
15. printf("Reversed Number: %d",reverse);
16. getch();
17. }

Fibonacci Series in C
Fibonacci Series in C: In case of fibonacci series, next number is the sum of previous two
numbers for example 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 etc. The first two numbers of fibonacci
series are 0 and 1.

There are two ways to write the fibonacci series program:

o Fibonacci Series without recursion

o Fibonacci Series using recursion

Fibonacci Series in C without recursion

 Let's see the fibonacci series program in c without recursion.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main()
4. {
5. int n1=0,n2=1,n3,i,number;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter the number of elements:");
8. scanf("%d",&number);
9. printf("\n%d %d",n1,n2);//printing 0 and 1
10.
11. for(i=2;i<number;++i)//loop starts from 2 because 0 and 1 are already printed
12. {
13. n3=n1+n2;
14. printf(" %d",n3);
15. n1=n2;
16. n2=n3;
17. }
18. getch();
19. }

Output:

Enter the number of elements:15

0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377

Fibonacci Series using recursion in C

Let's see the fibonacci series program in c using recursion.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void printFibonacci(int n){
4. static int n1=0,n2=1,n3;
5. if(n>0){
6. n3 = n1 + n2;
7. n1 = n2;
8. n2 = n3;
9. printf("%d ",n3);
10. printFibonacci(n-1);
11. }
12. }
13. void main(){
14. int n;
15. clrscr();
16. printf("Enter the number of elements: ");
17. scanf("%d",&n);
18.
19. printf("Fibonacci Series: ");
20. printf("%d %d ",0,1);
21. printFibonacci(n-2);//n-2 because 2 numbers are already printed
22.
23. getch();
24. }

Output:

Enter the number of elements:15

0 1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89 144 233 377

Prime Number program in C

Prime number in C: Prime number is a number that is greater than 1 and divided by 1 or
itself. In other words, prime numbers can't be divided by other numbers than itself or 1. For
example 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23.... are the prime numbers.

Note: Zero (0) and 1 are not considered as prime numbers. Two (2) is the only one even prime
number because all the numbers can be divided by 2.

Let's see the prime number program in C. In this c program, we will take an input from the
user and check whether the number is prime or not.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main()
4. {
5. int n,i,m=0,flag=0;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter the number to check prime:");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. m=n/2;
10. for(i=2;i<=m;i++)
11. {
12. if(n%i==0)
13. {
14. printf("Number is not prime");
15. flag=1;
16. break;
17. }
18. }
19. if(flag==0)
20. printf("Number is prime");
21. getch();
22. }
Output:

Enter the number to check prime:56

Number is not prime
Enter the number to check prime:23
Number is prime

Palindrome program in C
Palindrome number in c: A palindrome number is a number that is same after reverse.
For example 121, 34543, 343, 131, 48984 are the palindrome numbers.

Palindrome number algorithm

o Get the number from user

o Hold the number in temporary variable

o Reverse the number

o Compare the temporary number with reversed number

o If both numbers are same, print palindrome number

 o Else print not palindrome number

Let's see the palindrome program in C. In this c program, we will get an input from the user
and check whether number is palindrome or not.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int n,r,sum=0,temp;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the number=");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. temp=n;
10. while(n>0)
11. {
12. r=n%10;
13. sum=(sum*10)+r;
14. n=n/10;
15. }
16. if(temp==sum)
17. printf("palindrome number ");
18. else
19. printf("not palindrome");
20. getch();
21. }

Output:

enter the number=151

palindrome number
enter the number=5621
not palindrome number

Factorial Program in C
Factorial Program in C: Factorial of n is the product of all positive descending integers.
Factorial of n is denoted by n!. For example:

1. 5! = 5*4*3*2*1 = 120
2. 3! = 3*2*1 = 6
 Here, 5! is pronounced as "5 factorial", it is also called "5 bang" or "5 shriek".

The factorial is normally used in Combinations and Permutations (mathematics).

There are many ways to write the factorial program in c language. Let's see the 2 ways to
write the factorial program.

o Factorial Program using loop

o Factorial Program using recursion

Factorial Program using loop

Let's see the factorial Program using loop.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(){
4. int i,fact=1,number;
5. clrscr();
6. printf("Enter a number: ");
7. scanf("%d",&number);
8.
9. for(i=1;i<=number;i++){
10. fact=fact*i;
11. }
12. printf("Factorial of %d is: %d",number,fact);
13. getch();
14. }

Output:

Enter a number: 5
Factorial of 5 is: 120

Factorial Program using recursion in C

Let's see the factorial program in c using recursion.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3.
4. long factorial(int n)
5. {
6. if (n == 0)
7. return 1;
8. else
9. return(n * factorial(n-1));
10. }
11.
12. void main()
13. {
14. int number;
15. long fact;
16. clrscr();
17. printf("Enter a number: ");
18. scanf("%d", &number);
19.
20. fact = factorial(number);
21. printf("Factorial of %d is %ld\n", number, fact);
22. getch();
23. }

Output:

Enter a number: 6
Factorial of 5 is: 720

Armstrong Number in C
Before going to write the c program to check whether the number is Armstrong or not, let's
understand what is Armstrong number.

Armstrong number is a number that is equal to the sum of cubes of its digits. For example
0, 1, 153, 370, 371 and 407 are the Armstrong numbers.

Let's try to understand why 153 is an Armstrong number.

1. 153 = (1*1*1)+(5*5*5)+(3*3*3)
2. where:
3. (1*1*1)=1
4. (5*5*5)=125
5. (3*3*3)=27
6. So:
7. 1+125+27=153

Let's try to understand why 371 is an Armstrong number.

1. 371 = (3*3*3)+(7*7*7)+(1*1*1)
2. where:
3. (3*3*3)=27
4. (7*7*7)=343
5. (1*1*1)=1
6. So:
7. 27+343+1=371

Let's see the c program to check Armstrong Number in C.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int n,r,sum=0,temp;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the number=");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. temp=n;
10. while(n>0)
11. {
12. r=n%10;
13. sum=sum+(r*r*r);
14. n=n/10;
15. }
16. if(temp==sum)
17. printf("armstrong number ");
18. else
19. printf("not armstrong number");
20. getch();
21. }

Output:
 enter the number=153
armstrong number
enter the number=5
not armstrong number

Sum of digits program in C

C program to sum each digit: We can write the sum of digits program in c language by the
help of loop and mathematical operation only.

Sum of digits algorithm

To get sum of each digits by c program, use the following algorithm:

o Step 1: Get number by user

o Step 2: Get the modulus/remainder of the number

o Step 3: sum the remainder of the number

o Step 4: Divide the number by 10

o Step 5: Repeat the step 2 while number is greater than 0.

Let's see the sum of digits program in C.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main()
4. {
5. int n,sum=0,m;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter a number:");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. while(n>0)
10. {
11. m=n%10;
12. sum=sum+m;
13. n=n/10;
14. }
15. printf("Sum is=%d",sum);
16. getch();
17. }

Output:

Enter a number:654
Sum is=15
Enter a number:123
Sum is=6

C Program to reverse number

We can reverse a number in c using loop and arithmetic operators. In this program, we are
getting number as input from the user and reversing that number. Let's see a simple c
example to reverse a given number.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int n, reverse=0, rem;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter a number: ");
8. scanf("%d", &n);
9. while(n!=0)
10. {
11. rem=n%10;
12. reverse=reverse*10+rem;
13. n/=10;
14. }
15. printf("Reversed Number: %d",reverse);
16. getch();
17. }

Output:

Enter a number: 123

Reversed Number: 321

C Program to swap two numbers without third

variable
 We can swap two numbers without using third variable. There are two common ways to
swap two numbers without using third variable:

1. By + and -

2. By * and /

Program 1: Using + and -

Let's see a simple c example to swap two numbers without using third variable.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int a=10, b=20;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Before swap a=%d b=%d",a,b);
8.
9. a=a+b;//a=30 (10+20)
10. b=a-b;//b=10 (30-20)
11. a=a-b;//a=20 (30-10)
12.
13. printf("\nAfter swap a=%d b=%d",a,b);
14. getch();
15. }

Output:

Before swap a=10 b=20

After swap a=20 b=10

Program 2: Using * and /

Let's see another example to swap two numbers using * and /.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int a=10, b=20;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Before swap a=%d b=%d",a,b);
8.
9. a=a*b;//a=200 (10*20)
10. b=a/b;//b=10 (200/20)
11. a=a/b;//a=20 (200/10)
12.
13. printf("\nAfter swap a=%d b=%d",a,b);
14. getch();
15. }

Output:

Before swap a=10 b=20

After swap a=20 b=10

C Program to print "hello" without semicolon

We can print "hello" or "hello world" or anything else in C without using semicolon. There
are various ways to do so:

1. Using if

2. Using switch

3. Using loop etc.

Program 1: Using if statement

Let's see a simple c example to print "hello world" using if statement and without using
semicolon.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. if(printf("hello world")){}
4. }

Output:

hello world
 Program 2: Using switch statement
Let's see a simple c example to print "hello world" using switch statement and without using
semicolon.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. switch(printf("hello world")){}
4. }

Output:

hello world

Program 3: Using while loop

Let's see a simple c example to print "hello world" using while loop and without using
semicolon.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main(){
3. while(!printf("hello world")){}
4. }

Output:

hello world

Assembly program in C
We can write assembly program code inside c language program. In such case, all the
assembly code must be placed inside asm{} block.

Let's see a simple assembly program code to add two numbers in c program.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. void main() {
3. int a = 10, b = 20, c;
4.
5. asm {
6. mov ax,a
7. mov bx,b
8. add ax,bx
9. mov c,ax
10. }
11.
12. printf("c= %d",c);
13. }

Output:

c= 30

C Program without main() function

We can write c program without using main() function. To do so, we need to use #define
preprocessor directive.

Let's see a simple program to print "hello" without main() function.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #define start main
3. void start() {
4. printf("Hello");
5. }

Output:

Hello

Matrix multiplication in C
Matrix multiplication in C: We can add, subtract, multiply and divide 2 matrices. To do so,
we are taking input from the user for row number, column number, first matrix elements
and second matrix elements. Then we are performing multiplication on the matrices entered
by the user.

In matrix multiplication first matrix one row element is multiplied by second matrix all
column elements.

Let's try to understand the matrix multiplication of 2*2 and 3*3 matrices by the figure
given below:
 Let's see the program of matrix multiplication in C.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int a[10][10],b[10][10],mul[10][10],r,c,i,j,k;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the number of row=");
8. scanf("%d",&r);
9. printf("enter the number of column=");
10. scanf("%d",&c);
11. printf("enter the first matrix element=\n");
12. for(i=0;i<r;i++)
13. {
14. for(j=0;j<c;j++)
15. {
16. scanf("%d",&a[i][j]);
17. }
18. }
19. printf("enter the second matrix element=\n");
20. for(i=0;i<r;i++)
21. {
22. for(j=0;j<c;j++)
23. {
24. scanf("%d",&b[i][j]);
25. }
26. }
27.
28. printf("multiply of the matrix=\n");
29. for(i=0;i<r;i++)
30. {
31. for(j=0;j<c;j++)
32. {
33. mul[i][j]=0;
34. for(k=0;k<c;k++)
35. {
36. mul[i][j]+=a[i][k]*b[k][j];
37. }
38. }
39. }
40. //for printing result
41. for(i=0;i<r;i++)
42. {
43. for(j=0;j<c;j++)
44. {
45. printf("%d\t",mul[i][j]);
46. }
47. printf("\n");
48. }
49. getch();
50. }

Output:
enter the number of row=3
enter the number of column=3
enter the first matrix element=
1 1 1
2 2 2
3 3 3
enter the second matrix element=
1 1 1
2 2 2
3 3 3
multiply of the matrix=
6 6 6
12 12 12
18 18 18

Let's try to understand the matrix multiplication of 3*3 and 3*3 matrices by the figure
given below:

C Program to
convert Decimal to Binary
Decimal to binary in C: We can convert any decimal number (base-10 (0 to 9)) into binary
number(base-2 (0 or 1)) by c program.

Decimal Number
Decimal number is a base 10 number because it ranges from 0 to 9, there are total 10 digits
between 0 to 9. Any combination of digits is decimal number such as 23, 445, 132, 0, 2 etc.
 Binary Number
Binary number is a base 2 number because it is either 0 or 1. Any combination of 0 and 1 is
binary number such as 1001, 101, 11111, 101010 etc.

Let's see the some binary numbers for the decimal number.

Decimal Binary

1 0

2 10

3 11

4 100

5 101

6 110

7 111

8 1000

9 1001

10 1010

Decimal to Binary Conversion Algorithm

o Step 1: Divide the number by 2 through % (modulus operator) and store the
remainder in array

o Step 2: Divide the number by 2 through / (division operator)

o Step 3: Repeat the step 2 until number is greater than 0

Let's see the c example to convert decimal to binary.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int a[10],n,i;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter the number to convert: ");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. for(i=0;n>0;i++)
10. {
11. a[i]=n%2;
12. n=n/2;
13. }
14. printf("\nBinary of Given Number is=");
15. for(i=i-1;i>=0;i--)
16. {
17. printf("%d",a[i]);
18. }
19. getch();
20. }

Output:

Enter the number to convert: 5

Binary of Given Number is=101

C Program to convert Number in Characters

Number in characters conversion: In c language, we can easily convert number in
characters by the help of loop and switch case. In this program, we are taking input from
the user and iterating this number until it is 0. While iteration, we are dividing it by 10 and
the remainder is passed in switch case to get the word for the number.

Let's see the c program to convert number in characters.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. long int n,sum=0,r;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the number=");
8. scanf("%ld",&n);
9. while(n>0)
10. {
11. r=n%10;
12. sum=sum*10+r;
13. n=n/10;
14. }
15. n=sum;
16. while(n>0)
17. {
18. r=n%10;
19. switch(r)
20. {
21. case 1:
22. printf("one ");
23. break;
24. case 2:
25. printf("two ");
26. break;
27. case 3:
28. printf("three ");
29. break;
30. case 4:
31. printf("four ");
32. break;
33. case 5:
34. printf("five ");
35. break;
36. case 6:
37. printf("six ");
38. break;
39. case 7:
40. printf("seven ");
41. break;
42. case 8:
43. printf("eight ");
44. break;
45. case 9:
46. printf("nine ");
47. break;
48. case 0:
49. printf("zero ");
50. break;
51. default:
52. printf("tttt");
53. break;
54. }
55. n=n/10;
56. }
57. getch();
58. }

Output:

enter the number=4321

four three two one
next prev

C Program to print Alphabet Triangle

There are different triangles that can be printed. Triangles can be generated by alphabets
or numbers. In this c program, we are going to print alphabet triangles.

Let's see the c example to print alphabet triangle.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3.
4. void main(void)
5. {
6. int ch=65;
7. int i,j,k,m;
8. clrscr();
9. for(i=1;i<=5;i++)
10. {
11. for(j=5;j>=i;j--)
12. printf(" ");
13. for(k=1;k<=i;k++)
 14. printf("%c",ch++);
15. ch--;
16. for(m=1;m<i;m++)
17. printf("%c",--ch);
18. printf("\n");
19. ch=65;
20. }
21. getch();
22. }

Output:

A
ABA
ABCBA
ABCDCBA
ABCDEDCBA

C Program to print Number Triangle

Like alphabet triangle, we can write the c program to print the number triangle. The number
triangle can be printed in different ways.

Let's see the c example to print number triangle.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. main()
4. {
5. int i,j,k,l,n;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("enter the range=");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. for(i=1;i<=n;i++)
10. {
11. for(j=1;j<=n-i;j++)
12. {
13. printf(" ");
14. }
15. for(k=1;k<=i;k++)
16. {
17. printf("%d",k);
18. }
19. for(l=i-1;l>=1;l--)
20. {
21. printf("%d",l);
22. }
23. printf("\n");
24. }
25. getch();
26. }

Output:

enter the range= 4

1
121
12321
1234321
enter the range= 7
1
121
12321
1234321
123454321
12345654321
1234567654321

C Program to generate Fibonacci Triangle

In this program, we are getting input from the user for the limit for fibonacci triangle, and
printing the fibonacci series for the given number of times (limit).

Let's see the c example to generate fibonacci triangle.

1. #include<stdio.h>
2. #include<conio.h>
3. void main(void)
4. {
5. int a=0,b=1,i,c,n,j;
6. clrscr();
7. printf("Enter the limit:");
8. scanf("%d",&n);
9. for(i=1;i<=n;i++)
10. {
11. a=0;
12. b=1;
13. printf("%d\t",b);
14. for(j=1;j<i;j++)
15. {
16. c=a+b;
17. printf("%d\t",c);
18. a=b;
19. b=c;
20.
21. }
22. printf("\n");
23. }
24. getch();
25. }

Output:

Enter the limit:9

1
1 1
1 1 2
1 1 2 3
1 1 2 3 5
1 1 2 3 5 8
1 1 2 3 5 8 13
1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21
1 1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34
Enter the limit:5
1
1 1
1 1 2
1 1 2 3
1 1 2 3 5