C Programming Language Tutorial

Welcome to the C programming language tutorial! This tutorial will cover the basics of C programming and provide you with the knowledge to write your own programs in C.

What is C?

C is a general-purpose programming language that is widely used for system programming, embedded systems, and application programming. It was originally developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs in the 1970s.

C is a high-level language that provides low-level access to computer memory through pointers. It is a compiled language, which means that programs written in C are converted into machine code by a compiler before being executed.

Getting Started with C

To write C programs, you will need a text editor to write your code and a compiler to convert your code into an executable program. Here are the basic steps to get started with C programming:

1. Install a text editor: There are many text editors available for writing C code, such as Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and Notepad++. Choose one that you are comfortable with.

2. Install a C compiler: There are several C compilers available, including GCC, Clang, and Microsoft Visual C++. These compilers convert your C code into machine code that can be executed on your computer. Choose a compiler that is compatible with your operating system.

3. Write your code: Open your text editor and create a new file with a .c extension. This file will contain your C code. Write your code in the file and save it.

4. Compile your code: Open a terminal or command prompt and navigate to the directory where your C file is saved. Use the gcc command to compile your code into an executable file. For example, if your C file is named myprogram.c, you can compile it with the following command:

   gcc myprogram.c -o myprogram
   

   This will create an executable file named myprogram in the same directory as your C file.

5. Run your program: Once your program is compiled, you can run it by typing its name in the terminal or command prompt. For example, to run myprogram, type the following command:

   ./myprogram
   

   This will execute your program and display any output on the screen.

C Programming Basics

Now that you have the tools to write and run C programs, let's dive into the basics of C programming.

Variables and Data Types

In C, you can declare variables to store data in your program. Variables have a data type, which specifies the type of data they can store. Here are some common data types in C:

• int: Stores integer values (whole numbers).
• float: Stores floating-point values (decimal numbers).
• double: Stores double-precision floating-point values.
• char: Stores a single character.

To declare a variable in C, you specify its data type and name. For example, to declare an integer variable named x, you would use the following code:

int x;

You can also initialize a variable when you declare it. For example, to declare and initialize an integer variable named y to a value of 5, you would use the following code:

int y = 5;

Operators

C provides several operators that you can use to perform operations on variables and values. Here are some common operators in C:

• Arithmetic operators: +, -, *, /, %
• Assignment operators: =, +=, -=, *=, /=, %=
• Comparison operators: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=
• Logical operators: &&, ||, !