Introduction to

C Programming
CEN111 Algorithms and Programming I
A Simple C Program

1. // A first program in C.
2. #include <stdio.h>
3.
4. // function main begins program execution
5. int main(void) {
6. printf("Welcome to C!\n");
7. return 0;
8. } // end function main

• OUTPUT:
• Welcome to C!
A Simple C Program
Comments
• Begin with //
• Insert comments to document programs and improve program
readability
• Comments do not cause the computer to perform actions
• Help other people read and understand your program
• Can also use /* … */ multi-line comments
• Everything between /* and */ is a comment
A Simple C Program
#include Preprocessor Directive
• #include <stdio.h>
• C preprocessor directive
• Preprocessor handles lines beginning with # before compilation
• This directive includes the contents of the standard input/output
header (<stdio.h>)
• Contains information the compiler uses to ensure that you correctly use
standard input/output library functions such as printf
A Simple C Program
Blank Lines and White Space
• Blank lines, space characters and tab characters make programs
easier to read
• Together, these are known as white space
• Generally ignored by the compiler
A Simple C Program
The main Function
• Begins execution of every C program
• Parentheses after main indicate that main is a function
• C programs consist of functions, one of which must be main
• Precede every function by a comment stating its purpose
• Functions can return information
• The keyword int to the left of main indicates that main “returns” an
integer value
A Simple C Program
The main Function
• Functions can receive information
• void in parentheses means main does not receive any information
• A left brace, {, begins each function’s body
• A corresponding right brace, }, ends each function’s body
• A program terminates upon reaching main’s closing right brace
• The braces form a block
A Simple C Program
An Output Statement
• printf("Welcome to C!\n");
• Performs an action—displays the string in the quotes
• A string is also called a character string, a message or a literal
• The entire line is called a statement
• Every statement ends with a semicolon statement terminator
• Characters usually print as they appear between
• Notice the characters \n were not displayed.
A Simple C Program
Escape Sequences
• In a string, backslash (\) is an escape character
• Compiler combines a backslash with the next character to form an
escape sequence
• \n means newline
• When printf encounters a newline in a string, it positions the
output cursor to the beginning of the next line
A Simple C Program
Escape Sequence Description
Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next
\n
line.
\t Moves the cursor to the next horizontal tab stop.
Produces a sound or visible alert without
\a
changing the current cursor position.
Because the backslash has special meaning in a
\\ string, \\ is required to insert a backslash
character in a string.
Because strings are enclosed in double quotes,
\” \” is required to insert a double-quote character
in a string.
A Simple C Program
The Linker and Executables
• When compiling a printf statement, the compiler merely provides
space in the object program for a “call” to the function
• The compiler does not know where the library functions are—the
linker does
• When the linker runs, it locates the library functions and inserts the
proper calls to these functions in the object program
• Now the object program is complete and ready to execute
• The linked program is called an executable
A Simple C Program
The return Statement

• Last line in the main function.

• Transfers control from your program to the operating system.
• The value 0 ,in this case, indicates that your program executed
without an error.
• Right brace } indicates end of main has been reached
A Simple C Program
Indentation Conventions
• Indent the entire body of each function one level of indentation
within the braces that define the function’s body
• Emphasizes a program’s functional structure and helps make them
easier to read
• Set an indentation convention and uniformly apply that convention
• Style guides often recommend using spaces rather than tabs
A Simple C Program
1. // Printing on one line with two printf statements.
2. #include <stdio.h>
3.
4. // function main begins program execution
5. int main(void) {
6. printf("Welcome ");
7. printf("to C!\n");
8. return 0;
9. } // end function main
• OUTPUT:
• Welcome to C!
A Simple C Program
Using Multiple printfs
• Next program uses two statements to produce the same output as
previous one.
• Works because each printf resumes printing where the previous
one finished
• Line 6 displays Welcome followed by a space (but no newline)
• Line 7’s printf begins printing immediately following the space
A Simple C Program
Displaying Multiple Lines with a Single printf
• One printf can display several lines
• Each \n moves the output cursor to the beginning of the next line
A Simple C Program
1. // Printing multiple lines with a single printf.
2. #include <stdio.h>
3.
4. // function main begins program execution
5. int main(void) {
6. printf("Welcome\nto\nC!\n");
7. return 0;
8. } // end function main

• OUTPUT:
Welcome
to
C!
A Simple C Program
Displaying Multiple Lines with a Single printf
• One printf can display several lines
• Each \n moves the output cursor to the beginning of the next line
Adding Two Integers
• scanf standard library function obtains information from the user at
the keyboard
• Next program obtains two integers, then computes their sum and
displays the result
Adding Two Integers
1.// Addition program.
2.#include <stdio.h>

3.// function main begins program execution

4.int main(void) {
5. int integer1 = 0; // will hold first number
6. int integer2 = 0; // will hold second number
7. printf("Enter first integer: "); // prompt
8. scanf("%d", &integer1); // read an integer
Adding Two Integers
9. printf("Enter second integer: "); // prompt
10. scanf("%d", &integer2); // read an integer
11. int sum = 0; // variable in which sum will
be stored
12. sum = integer1 + integer2; // assign total
to sum
13. printf("Sum is %d\n", sum); // print sum
14. return 0;
15.} // end function main
Adding Two Integers
• OUTPUT

Enter first integer: 45

Enter second integer: 72
Sum is 117
Adding Two Integers
Variables and Variable Definitions
• Lines 5 and 6 are definitions.
• The names integer1 and integer2 are variables—locations in
memory where the program can store values for later use
• integer1 and integer2 have type int—they’ll hold whole-
number integer values
• Lines 5 and 6 initialize each variable to 0
Adding Two Integers
Define Variables Before They Are Used
• All variables must be defined with a name and a type before they can
be used in a program
• You can place each variable definition anywhere in main before that
variable’s first use in the code
• In general, you should define variables close to their first use
Adding Two Integers
Identifiers and Case Sensitivity
• A variable name can be any valid identifier
• Each identifier may consist of letters, digits and underscores ( _ ), but may
not begin with a digit
• C is case sensitive, so a1 and A1 are different identifiers
• A variable name should start with a lowercase letter
• Choosing meaningful variable names helps make a program self-
documenting
• Multiple-word variable names can make programs more readable
• separate the words with underscores, as in total_commissions, or
• run the words together and begin each subsequent word with a capital letter as in
totalCommissions.
Adding Two Integers
Prompting Messages

• Line 7 displays "Enter first integer: "

• This message is called a prompt
• tells user to take a specific action
Adding Two Integers
The scanf Function and Formatted Inputs
• Line 8 uses scanf to obtain a value from the user
• Reads from the standard input, usually the keyboard
• The "%d" is the format control string — indicates the type of data the
user should enter (an integer)
• Second argument begins with an ampersand (&) followed by the
variable name
• Tells scanf the location (or address) in memory of the variable
• scanf stores the value the user enters at that memory location
Adding Two Integers
Prompting for and Inputting the Second Integer
• Line 9 prompts the user to enter the second integer
• Line 10 obtains a value for variable integer2 from the user.
Adding Two Integers
Defining the sum Variable
• Line 11 defines the int variable sum and initializes it to 0 before we
use sum in line 12.
Adding Two Integers
Assignment Statement
• The assignment statement in line 12 calculates the total of
integer1 and integer2, then assigns the result to variable sum
using the assignment operator (=)
• Read as, “sum gets the value of the expression integer1 + integer2.”
• Most calculations are performed in assignments
Adding Two Integers
Binary Operators
• The = operator and the + operator are binary operators—each has
two operands
• Place spaces on either side of a binary operator to make the operator
stand out and make the program more readable
Adding Two Integers
Printing with a Format Control String
• The format control string "Sum is %d\n" in line 13 contains some
literal characters to display ("Sum is ") and the conversion
specification %d, which is a placeholder for an integer
• The sum is the value to insert in place of %d
Adding Two Integers
Combining a Variable Definition and Assignment Statement
• You can initialize a variable in its definition
• For example, lines 11 and 12 can add the variables integer1 and
integer2, then initialize the variable sum with the result:
• int sum = integer1 + integer2; // assign total to
sum
Adding Two Integers
Calculations in printf Statements
• Actually, we do not need the variable sum, because we can perform
the calculation in the printf statement
• Lines 11–13 can be replaced with
• printf("Sum is %d\n", integer1 + integer2);
Memory Concepts
• Every variable has a name, a type, a value and a location in the
computer’s memory
• After placing 45 in integer1

• When a value is placed in a memory location, it replaces the location’s

previous value which is lost
Memory Concepts
• After placing 72 in integer2

• These locations are not necessarily adjacent in memory

Memory Concepts
• After calculating sum of integer1 and integer2
Language Elements
• Token: the smallest element of a program that is meaningful to the
compiler.
• Kinds of tokens in C:
• Reserved words
• Identifiers
• Constants
• Operators
• Punctuators
Reserved Words
• A word that has a special meaning in C
• Identifiers from standard library and names for memory cells
• Appear in lowercase
• Cannot be used for other purposes
Reserved Words

auto double int struct

break else long switch
case enum register typedef
char extern return union
const float short unsigned
continue for signed void
default goto sizeof volatile
do if static while
Identifiers
• Identifiers are used for:
• Variable names
• Function names
• Macro names
Identifiers
• An identifier must consist only of letters, digits, and underscores.
• An identifier cannot begin with a digit.
• A C reserved word cannot be used as an identifier.
• An identifier defined in a C standard library should not be redefined.
• Case-sensitive e.g. Ali and ali are two different identifiers.
Identifiers
• Valid Identifiers
letter_1, letter_2, inches, CENT_PER_INCH,
Hello, variable

• Invalid Identifiers
1Letter double int TWO*FOUR joe’s
Variable Declarations
• Variable
• a name associated with a memory cell whose value can change
• Variable declarations
• statements that communicate to the compiler the names of variables in the
program and the kind of information stored in each variable
• Variables must be declared before use, a syntax (compile-time) error if these
are violated
• Every variable has a name, a type, a size and a value
Basic Datatypes in C
• Integer int
• Character char
• Floating Point float
• Double precision double
floating point

• Datatype modifiers
• signed / unsigned (for int and char)
• short / long
Basic Datatypes in C
• signed char (8 bits) -127 to +127
• unsigned char 0 to 255
• short int (16 bits) -32,767 to +32,767
• unsigned short int 0 to 65,535
• int (32 bits) -2,147,483,647 to +2,147,483,647
• unsigned int 0 to 4,294,967,295
• long int (32-64 bits) -2,147,483,647 to +2,147,483,647
• unsigned long int 0 to 4,294,967,295
• float ~10^-37 to ~10^38
• double ~10-^307 to ~10^308
• long double ~10^-4931 to ~10^4932
Basic Datatypes in C
• Placeholders in format string
• %c: the argument is taken to be a single character
• %d: the argument is taken to be an integer
• %f: the argument is taken to be a floating point (float or double)
• %s: the argument is taken to be a string
Variable Declarations
• A declaration consists of a data type name followed by a list of (one
or more) variables of that type:
• char c;
• int num1, num2;
• float rate;
• double avarage;
Variable Declarations
• A variable may be initialized in its declaration.
• char c = ‘a’;
• int a = 220, b = 448;
• float x = 0.00123;
• double y = 123.00;
Variable Declarations

• Variables that are not initialized may have garbage values.

• Whenever a new value is placed into a variable, it replaces the
previous value
• Reading variables from memory does not change them
Operators
• Arithmetic operators
• Assignment operator
• Logical operators
Arithmetic in C
Arithmetic Operator Meaning Example
+ addition 5 + 2 is 7
5.0 + 2.0 is 7.0
– subtraction 5 – 2 is 3
5.0 – 2.0 is 3.0
* multiplication 5 * 2 is 10
5.0 * 2.0 is 10.0
/ division 5.0 / 2.0 is 2.5
5 / 2 is 2
% remainder 5 % 2 is 1
Arithmetic in C
• Integer Division and the Remainder Operator
• Integer division yields an integer result
• 7 / 4 evaluates to 1
• 17 / 5 evaluates to 3
• Integer-only remainder operator, %, yields the remainder after integer
division
• 7 % 4 yields 3
• 17 %5 yields 2
• An attempt to divide by zero usually is undefined
• Generally, a fatal error
• Nonfatal errors allow programs to run to completion, often with incorrect results
Arithmetic in C
Parentheses for Grouping Subexpressions
• Parentheses are used in C expressions in the same manner as in
algebraic expressions
Rules of Operator Precedence
• Generally the same as in algebra
• Expressions grouped in parentheses evaluate first
• In nested parentheses, operators in the innermost pair of parentheses are applied first
• *, / and % are applied next left-to-right
• + and - are evaluated next left-to-right
• The assignment operator (=) is evaluated last.
Arithmetic in C
a+b+c +d +e
m=
5

C: m = (a + b + c + d + e)/5;

• Parentheses are required above

Arithmetic in C

y = mx + b

C: 𝑦 = 𝑚 ∗ 𝑥 + 𝑏;
Arithmetic in C

z = pr mod q + w /x − y

C:
Arithmetic in C
Using Parentheses for Clarity
• Redundant parentheses can make an expression clearer

y = ( a  x  x ) + ( b  x ) + c;
Assignment Operator
• variable = expression; x = 5*y + (y-1)*44 ;
• expressions:
• operations expression
• variables
• constants
• function calls statement

• Precedence of the assignment operator is lower than the arithmetic

operators
Assignment Operator
• an instruction that stores a value of a computational result in a
variable

• x=y ; l-value vs. r-value

• x+1 = 3; invalid l-value expression

• l-value usages must refer to a fixed position in the memory

Increment and Decrement Operators
• Postfix Increment/Decreement
int a=3;
a++; \\ a=a+1
• The value of the postfix increment expression is determined before
the variable is increased
x=a++;
1. x=a;
2. a=a+1;
Increment and Decrement Operators
• Prefix Increment/Decreement
int a=3;
++a; \\ a=a+1
• The effect takes place before the expression that contains the
operand is evaluated
x=++a;
1. a=a+1;
2. x=a;
Increment and Decrement Operators
/*** increment and decrement expressions ***/
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
int a =0 , b = 0, c = 0;
a = ++b + ++c;
a = b++ + c++;
a = ++b + c++;
a = b-- + --c;
return 0;
}
Compound Assignment Operator
sum=sum+x;
• can be abbreviated
• sum+=x;

• operand1=operand1 operator operand2

• operand1 operator=operand2
Integer/Float Conversions
• An arithmetic operation between an integer and an integer always
yields an integer result .
• An arithmetic operation between a float and a float always yields a
float result.
• In an arithmetic operation between an integer and a float, the integer
is first promoted to float and then the operation is carried out. Hence,
it always yields a float result.
• On assigning a float to an integer, the float is demoted to an integer
• On assigning an integer to a float, it is promoted to a float.
Homework
• Write a C program to reverse a given 5 digits number.