Complete Introduction to C Programming

Jun 27, 2024

Complete Introduction to C Programming

Overview

  • Introduction to C programming: basics, easy-to-understand examples
  • Role of programming in interacting with computers
  • Comparison with human languages (Hindi, English, etc.)

Tools and Setup

  • Modern IDE: Visual Studio Code (VSCode)
    • Setup C compiler
    • Importance of not using discontinued compilers
    • Install VSCode from official website
    • Extensions: Code Runner, C/C++ IntelliSense

Program Execution

  • C programs are plain text files with .c extension
  • Compiler translates C to machine code
  • Example: basic.c
  • Compiling and running a C program with GCC
  • User and workspace settings in VSCode

Basics of C Programming

Structure of a C Program

  • Include directives (#include <stdio.h>, etc.)
  • int main() function
    • Entry point for execution
    • Return value

Variables and Data Types

  • Types: int, float, char, etc.
  • Declaration and initialization of variables
  • Constants: const keyword

Operators

  • Arithmetic operators: +, -, *, /, %
  • Relational operators: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=
  • Logical operators: &&, ||, !
  • Assignment operators: =, +=, -=, etc.
  • Bitwise operators: &, |, ^, <<, >>

User Input

  • scanf function for reading input
  • Format specifiers: %d, %f, %c, etc.
  • Example: reading and printing user input

Type Casting

  • Converting between different data types
  • Example: converting integers to float for division

Decision Making in C

Conditional Statements

  • if, else if, else
    • Conditions and logical flow
  • Switch statement (not covered in-depth)
  • Ternary operator (? :)

Loops

Types of loops

  • while loop
  • for loop
  • do-while loop
  • Infinite loops and loop control

Functions

  • Defining and using functions
  • Syntax: return type, function name, parameters
  • Example: sum and average functions
  • Local vs. global variables
  • Parameter passing by reference and value

Pointers

  • Basics and importance
  • Declaring and initializing pointers
  • Dereferencing pointers
  • Pointer arithmetic (briefly mentioned)
  • Common use cases: dynamic memory allocation, reference passing

Strings

  • Strings as character arrays ending with null character (\0)
  • Common string functions: strcpy, strcat, strcmp, strlen
  • Examples and use cases

Structures

  • Defining and using structures
    • Combining different data types
  • Example: structure for books (name, author, price)
  • Passing structures to functions

Conclusion

  • Summary of topics covered
  • Encouraging practice and exploration
  • Mention of future videos and deeper dives into advanced topics

Resources

  • Recommended book: C Programming Language by Dennis Ritchie