Programming in C: Introduction and Basics

Prof. Dr. Rafiqul Islam

January 18, 2025

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Lecture Outline

Introduction to Programming and C.

Setting up the C development environment (IDE, compiler).
Basic structure of a C program: #include, main(), and {}.
Writing and running your first program: ”Hello, World!”

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What is C?

C is a general-purpose programming language created by Dennis

Ritchie at the Bell Laboratories in 1972.
It is a very popular language, despite being old. The main reason for
its popularity is because it is a fundamental language in the field of
computer science.
C is strongly associated with UNIX, as it was developed to write the
UNIX operating system.

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Why Learn C?

It is one of the most popular programming languages in the world

If you know C, you will have no problem learning other popular
programming languages such as Java, Python, C++, C#, etc, as the
syntax is similar
C is very fast, compared to other programming languages, like Java
and Python
C is very versatile, it can be used in both applications and
technologies

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Setting Up Your C Environment

Tools Needed:
IDEs: Code::Blocks, Dev-C++, or VS Code.
Compilers: GCC, Clang.
Example Task: Install GCC and run a ”Hello, World!” program.

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Writing Your First Program: ”Hello, World!”

The following C program displays ”Hello, World!” on the screen:

1 # include < stdio .h >
2
3 int main () {
4 printf ( " Hello , World ! " );
5 return 0;
6 }

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Writing your First Program in Code Block

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Build and Run

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Code Explained

Line 1: #include<stdio.h> is a header file library that lets us work

with input and output functions, such as printf() (used in line 4).
Header files add functionality to C programs.
Line 2: A blank line. C ignores white space. But we use it to make
the code more readable.
Line 3: Another thing that always appear in a C program is main().
This is called a function. Any code inside its curly brackets will be
executed.
Line 4: printf() is a function used to output/print text to the screen.
In our example, it will output ”Hello World!”.
Note that: Every C statement ends with a semicolon;

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Statements

C programs contain many statements.

The statements are executed, one by one, in the same order as they
are written:

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Explanation

The first statement is executed first (print ”Hello World!” to the

screen).
Then the second statement is executed (print ”Have a good day!” to
the screen).
And at last, the third statement is executed (end the C program
successfully).

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Session 2: C Syntax, Keywords, Data Types, and Operators

C syntax: keywords, identifiers, and variables.

Data types and constants.
Input and output: printf(), scanf().
Basic operators: arithmetic, relational, logical.

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Data Types, Their Meanings, and printf Identifiers

Common Data Types in C:

int: Integer values (e.g., -10, 0, 100)
float: Floating-point numbers (e.g., 3.14, -0.5)
double: Double-precision floating-point numbers
char: Single character (e.g., ’A’, ’z’)

printf Format Specifiers:

%d or %i: For integers (int)
%f: For floating-point numbers (float)
%lf: For double-precision floating-point numbers (double)
%c: For characters (char)
%s: For strings (array of char)

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Example: Input and Output with Data Types

1 # include < stdio .h >

2 int main () {
3 int age ;
4 float height ;
5 char grade ;
6 // Input values from the user
7 printf ( " Enter your age : " );
8 scanf ( " % d " , & age );
9 printf ( " Enter your height ( in meters ) and grade (A ,
10 scanf ( " % f % c " , & height , & grade );
11
12 // Display the input values
13 printf ( " Age : % d \ n " , age );
14 printf ( " Height : %.2 f meters \ n " , height );
15 printf ( " Grade : % c \ n " , grade );
16 return 0;
17 }

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Explanation: Input and Output Program with Data Types
Variables Used:
int age: Stores an integer value.
float height: Stores a floating-point number.
char grade: Stores a single character.
Input:
scanf("%d", &age): Reads an integer.
scanf("%f", &height): Reads a floating-point number.
scanf(" %c", &grade): Reads a character (the space before %c
ensures any previous newline is ignored).
Output:
Displays the entered values using printf with the correct format
specifiers:
%d for integer.
%.2f for floating-point (2 decimal places).
%c for character.
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Variables

Variables are containers for storing data values, like numbers and
characters.
In C, there are different types of variables (defined with different
keywords), for example:
int - stores integers (whole numbers), without decimals, such as 123
or -123
float - stores floating point numbers, with decimals, such as 19.99 or
-19.99
char - stores single characters, such as ’a’ or ’B’. Characters are
surrounded by single quotes.

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C Syntax, Data Types, and Operators

Example

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C Syntax: Variables and Data Types

Example of declaring variables and performing operations in C:

1 # include < stdio .h >
2

3 int main () {
4 int age = 25;
5 float height = 5.9;
6 char grade = ’A ’;
7
8 printf ( " Age : %d , Height : %.1 f , Grade : % c \ n " , age , h
9 return 0;
10 }

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Input and Output Functions in C

Example of using scanf() for user input:

1 # include < stdio .h >
2

3 int main () {
4 int num ;
5 printf ( " Enter a number : " );
6 scanf ( " % d " , & num );
7 printf ( " You entered : % d \ n " , num );
8 return 0;
9 }

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Keywords in C Programming

Keywords are reserved words in C that have special meanings and cannot
be used as variable names or identifiers. Some common C keywords
include:
int while
float for
char switch
return case
if break
else continue
Note: Keywords are case-sensitive and must be used as defined in the C
language syntax.

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Keywords in a Simple Addition Program

Example: Adding Two Numbers Using Keywords

1 # include < stdio .h >
2
3 int main () {
4 int num1 = 10; // Keyword : int
5 int num2 = 20; // Keyword : int
6 int sum ; // Keyword : int
7
8 sum = num1 + num2 ; // Calculate sum
9
10 printf ( " The sum is : % d \ n " , sum ); // Keyword : printf
11

12 return 0; // Keyword : return

13 }

Output: The sum is: 30

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Basic Operators in C

C provides several types of operators:

Arithmetic operators: +, -, *, /, %.
Relational operators: ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=.
Logical operators: &, &&, ||.

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Arithmetic Operators

Example: Using Arithmetic Operators

1 # include < stdio .h >
2
3 int main () {
4 int a = 10 , b = 3;
5 printf ( " a = %d , b = % d \ n " , a , b );
6 printf ( " a + b = % d \ n " , a + b ); // Addition
7 printf ( " a - b = % d \ n " , a - b ); // Subtraction
8 printf ( " a * b = % d \ n " , a * b ); // Multiplication
9 printf ( " a / b = % d \ n " , a / b ); // Division
10 printf ( " a %% b = % d \ n " , a % b ); // Modulus
11 return 0;
12 }

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Relational Operator: Equal to (==)

Example: Using the Equal to Operator

1 # include < stdio .h >
2
3 int main () {
4 int a = 5 , b = 5;
5 printf ( " a = %d , b = % d \ n " , a , b );
6 printf ( " a == b : % d \ n " , a == b ); // Outputs 1 ( true )
7 return 0;
8 }

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Relational Operator: Greater than (>)

Example: Using the Greater than Operator

1 # include < stdio .h >
2
3 int main () {
4 int a = 8 , b = 3;
5 printf ( " a = %d , b = % d \ n " , a , b );
6 printf ( " a > b : % d \ n " , a > b ); // Outputs 1 ( true )
7 return 0;
8 }

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Logical Operators

Example: Using Logical Operators

1 # include < stdio .h >
2

3 int main () {
4 int a = 5 , b = 3;
5 printf ( " a = %d , b = % d \ n " , a , b );
6 printf ( " a > b && a != 0: % d \ n " , a > b && a != 0); /
7 printf ( " a < b || b == 3: % d \ n " , a < b || b == 3); /
8 printf ( " !( a == b ): % d \ n " , !( a == b )); // Logical NO
9 return 0;
10 }

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C Programming Exercises

Exercise 1: Data Types and printf

Write a C program that declares variables of different data types (int,
float, char) and prints their values.

Exercise 2: Arithmetic Operators

Write a C program that takes two integers as input from the user and
outputs their sum, difference, product, and quotient.

Exercise 3: Relational Operators

Write a C program that checks if two numbers entered by the user are
equal or not.

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