C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

BACHELOR OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

SEMESTER 1

C PROGRAMMING

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 1

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

Unit 1
Introduction to C Programming
Table of Contents

SL Fig No / Table SAQ /

Topic Page No
No / Graph Activity
1 Introduction - -
1.1 Overview in C - -
1.2 History and evolution of the C - 3-4
-
programming
1.3 Objectives - -
2 Features of C and its Basic Structure 1 1, 2
2.1 Programming Style: - - 5 - 10
2.2 Simple C Programs - -
3 Summary - - 11
4 Terminal Questions - - 12
5 Answers to Self Assessment Questions - - 12
6 Answers to Terminal Questions - - 12
7 Exercises - - 12

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 2

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Overview in C

C is a general-purpose, structured programming language. Its instructions consist of terms

that resemble algebraic expressions, augmented by certain English keywords such as if, else,
for, do and while.

1.2. History and evolution of the C programming

C was the offspring of the ‘Basic Combined Programming Language’ (BPCL) called B,
developed in the 1960’s at Cambridge University. B language was modified by Dennis Ritchie
and was implemented at Bell laboratories in 1972. The new language was named C. Since it
was developed along with the UNIX operating system, it is strongly associated with UNIX.
This operating system, which was also developed at Bell laboratories, was coded almost
entirely in C. In C, the type of a variable determines what kinds of values it may take on. The
type of an object determines the set of values it can have and what operations can be
performed on it. This is a fairly formal, mathematical definition of what a type is, but it is
traditional (and meaningful). There are several implications to remember:

1. The “set of values'' is finite. C's int type cannot represent all of the integers; its float
type cannot represent all floating-point numbers.
2. When you're using an object (that is, a variable) of some type, you may have to
remember what values it can take on and what operations you can perform on it. For
example, there are several operators which play with the binary (bit-level)
representation of integers, but these operators are not meaningful for and may not be
applied to floating-point operands.
3. When declaring a new variable and picking a type for it, you have to keep in mind the
values and operations you'll be needing.

This unit will introduce you to C programming with its various features, structure and how
the C programs are constructed with simple examples.

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 3

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

1.3. Objectives:

At studying this unit, you should be able to:

❖ Discuss the features of C programming language

❖ Explain the basic structure of a C program

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 4

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

2. FEATURES OF C AND ITS BASIC STRUCTURE

C is characterized by the ability to write very concise source programs, due in part to the
large number of operators included within the language.

It has a relatively small instruction set, though actual implementations include extensive
library functions which enhance the basic instructions.

The language encourages users to write additional library functions of their own. Thus, the
features and capabilities of the language can easily be extended by the user.

C compilers are commonly available for computers of all sizes. The compilers are usually
compact, and they generate object programs that are small and highly efficient when
compared with programs compiled from other high-level languages.

Another important characteristic of C is that its programs are highly portable, even more so
than with other high-level languages. The reason for this is that C relegates most computer
dependent features to its library functions. Thus, every version of C is accompanied by its
own set of library functions, which are written for the particular characteristics of the host
computer.

A C program can be viewed as a group of building blocks called functions. A function is a

subroutine that may include one or more statements designed to perform a specific task. To
write a C program we first create functions and then put them together. A C program may
contain one or more sections shown in Fig. 1.1.

The documentation section consists of a set of comment (remarks) lines giving the name of
the program, the author and other details which the programmer would like to use later.
Comments may appear anywhere within a program, as long as they are placed within the
delimiters /* and */ (e.g., /*this is a comment*/). Such comments are helpful in identifying
the program’s principal features or in explaining the underlying logic of various program
features.

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 5

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

Figure 1.1: Sections in a C program

The link section provides instructions to the compiler to link functions from the system
library. The definition section defines all symbolic constants.

There are some variables that are used in more than one function. Such variables are called
global variables and are declared in the global declaration section that is outside of all the
functions.

Every C program must have one main function section. This section contains two parts,
declaration part and executable part. The declaration part declares all the variables used in
the executable part. There is at least one statement in the executable part. These two parts
must appear between opening and closing braces ({ and }). The program execution begins at
the opening brace and ends at the closing brace. The closing brace of the main function
section is the logical end of the program. All statements in the declaration and executable
parts end with a semicolon(;).

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 6

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

The subprogram section contains all the user-defined functions that are called in the main
function. User-defined functions are generally placed immediately after the main function,
although they may appear in any order.

All sections, except the main function section may be absent when they are not required.

2.1. Programming Style:

Programming style in C involves writing code in a readable and consistent manner. This
includes choosing meaningful variable and function names, using indentation for clarity, and
following a consistent coding convention. Adopting a good programming style enhances
code maintainability and makes it easier for others to understand and collaborate on the
codebase.

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS - 1

1. Using C language programmers can write their own library functions. (True/False)
2. C is a ________ level programming language.
3. The documentation section contains a set of __________ lines.
4. Every C program must have one main() function. (True/False)

2.2. Simple C Programs

Let us see a simple c program given below:

#include <stdio.h>
main()
{
printf("Hello, world!\n");
return 0;
}

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 7

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

2.3. Executing a C Program:

To execute a C program, it undergoes a compilation process that translates the human-

readable source code into machine-readable object code. The resulting executable file can
then be run on a computer. Various compilers, such as GCC (GNU Compiler Collection), are
commonly used to compile C programs.

If you have a C compiler, the first thing to do is figure out how to type this program in and
compile it and run it and see where its output went.

The first line is practically boilerplate; it will appear in almost all programs we write. It asks
that some definitions having to do with the “Standard I/O Library'' be included in our
program; these definitions are needed if we are to call the library function printf correctly.

The second line says that we are defining a function named main. Most of the time, we can
name our functions anything we want, but the function name main is special: it is the
function that will be “called'' first when our program starts running. The empty pair of
parentheses indicates that our main function accepts no arguments, that is, there isn't any
information which needs to be passed in when the function is called.

The braces { and } surround a list of statements in C. Here, they surround the list of
statements making up the function main.

The line printf("Hello, world!\n"); is the first statement in the program. It asks that the
function printf be called; printf is a library function which prints formatted output. The
parentheses surround printf's argument list: the information which is handed to it which it
should act on. The semicolon at the end of the line terminates the statement.

printf 's first (and, in this case, only) argument is the string which it should print. The string,
enclosed in double quotes (""), consists of the words “Hello, world!'' followed by a special
sequence: \n. In strings, any two-character sequence beginning with the backslash \
represents a single special character. The sequence \n represents the “ 'new line'' character,
which prints a carriage return or line feed or whatever it takes to end one line of output and

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 8

 C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

move down to the next. (This program only prints one line of output, but it's still important
to terminate it.)

The second line in the main function is

return 0;

In general, a function may return a value to its caller, and main is no exception. When main
returns (that is, reaches its end and stops functioning), the program is at its end, and the
return value from main tells the operating system (or whatever invoked the program that
main is the main function of) whether it succeeded or not. By convention, a return value of
0 indicates success.

Program: Area of a circle

Here is an elementary C program that reads in the radius of a circle, calculates the area and
then writes the calculated result.
#include <stdio.h> /* Library file access */
/* program to calculate the area of a circle
*/ /* Title (Comment) */

main() /* Function heading */

float radius, area; /*Variable declarations */

printf(“Radius=?”); /* Output statement(prompt) */

scanf(“%f”, &radius); /* Input statement */

area=3.14159*radius*radius; /* Assignment statement */

printf(“Area=%f”,area); /* Output statement */

Program: Print a few numbers

Here is a program to illustrate a simple loop

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 9

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

#include <stdio.h>
/* print a few numbers, to illustrate a simple loop */
main()
{
int i;
for(i = 0; i < 10; i = i + 1) /* Looping statement */ printf("i is %d\n", i);

return 0;
}

Program: Program to add two numbers

#include <stdio.h>
main()
{
int i,j,k; // Defining variables
i = 6; // Assign values
j = 8;
k = i + j;
printf("sum of two numbers is %d \n",k); // Printing results
}

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS - 2

5. The information that needs to be passed in when a function is called is______.

6. The main() function doesn’t return any value. (True/False)

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 10

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

3. SUMMARY

C is a pivotal programming language with a rich history and evolution that traces back to its
development in the early 1970s by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs. Serving as the successor to
the B programming language, C became integral to the creation of the Unix operating system
and influenced the development of numerous other programming languages. The
standardization of C occurred with the establishment of the ANSI C standard in 1989 and the
subsequent ISO C standard in 1999.

The basic structure of a C program is characterized by a preprocessor directive, function

declarations, the main function, and additional user-defined functions. Programs are
organized into modular functions, each tasked with specific responsibilities. Syntax rules
dictate declarations and statements within functions.

Programming style in C emphasizes readability and consistency. Adopting meaningful

variable and function names, using indentation, and adhering to coding conventions
contribute to a more maintainable and understandable codebase. A well-defined
programming style facilitates collaboration and code comprehension.

To execute a C program, a compilation process is employed. This process translates human-

readable source code into machine-readable object code, resulting in an executable file.
Popular compilers like GCC play a crucial role in compiling C programs. Overall, C
programming offers a robust foundation for software development, and understanding its
basic structure, adhering to programming style guidelines, and navigating the compilation
and execution process are essential aspects of effective C programming.

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 11

C Programming Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ)

4. TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. Explain the history of C language.

2. What are the advantages of C language?
3. What are the major components of a C program?
4. What significance is attached to the function main?

5. ANSWERS TO SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

1. True
2. High
3. Comment
4. True
5. Arguments
6. False

6. ANSWERS TO TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. C was developed by Dennis Ritchie and came after B in the year 1972. (Refer Section
1.1 for more details)
2. C is fast, efficient and structured. (Refer to section 1.2 for more details)
3. Documentation section, Link section, Definition section, Global declaration section,
main() function section, Subprogram section
4. main() is the function that will be “called'' first when our program starts running.

7. EXERCISES

1. Explain the basic structure of a C program with an example.

2. What are the different steps in executing a C program?
3. Write a C program to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa.
4. Write a program in C to add, subtract, multiply any 3 numbers.

Unit 1 : Introduction to C Programming 12