Learn C Programming

Get started with writing simple programs in C while learning the skills that will help you work with practically any programming language

Key Features

• Learn essential C concepts such as variables, data structures, functions, loops, and pointers
• Get to grips with the core programming aspects that form the base of many modern programming languages
• Explore the expressiveness and versatility of the C language with the help of sample programs

Book Description

C is a powerful general-purpose programming language that is excellent for beginners to learn. This book will introduce you to computer programming and software development using C. If you're an experienced developer, this book will help you to become familiar with the C programming language.

This C programming book takes you through basic programming concepts and shows you how to implement them in C. Throughout the book, you'll create and run programs that make use of one or more C concepts, such as program structure with functions, data types, and conditional statements. You'll also see how to use looping and iteration, arrays, pointers, and strings. As you make progress, you'll cover code documentation, testing and validation methods, basic input/output, and how to write complete programs in C.

By the end of the book, you'll have developed basic programming skills in C, that you can apply to other programming languages and will develop a solid foundation for you to advance as a programmer.

What you will learn

• Understand fundamental programming concepts and implement them in C
• Write working programs with an emphasis on code indentation and readability
• Break existing programs intentionally and learn how to debug code
• Adopt good coding practices and develop a clean coding style
• Explore general programming concepts that are applicable to more advanced projects
• Discover how you can use building blocks to make more complex and interesting programs
• Use C Standard Library functions and understand why doing this is desirable

Who this book is for

This book is written for two very diverse audiences.

If you're an absolute beginner who only has basic familiarity with operating a computer, this book will help you learn the most fundamental concepts and practices you need to know to become a successful C programmer.

If you're an experienced programmer, you'll find the full range of C syntax as well as common C idioms. You can skim through the explanations and focus primarily on the source code provided.

Table of Contents

1. Running "Hello, World!"
2. Understanding Program Structure
3. Working with Basic Data Types
4. Using Variables and Assignment
5. Exploring Operators and Expressions
6. Exploring Conditional Program Flow
7. Exploring Loops and Iteration
8. Creating and Using Enumerations
9. Creating and Using Data Structures
10. Creating Custom Data Types With Typedef
11. Working with Arrays
12. Working with Multi-dimensional Arrays
13. Using Pointers
14. Understand Arrays and Pointers
15. Working with Strings
16. Creating and Using More Complex Structures
17. Understanding Memory Allocation and Lifetime.
18. Using Dynamic Memory Allocation
19. Exploring Formatted Output
20. Getting Input From the Command Line
21. Exploring Formatted Input
22. Working with files
23. Using File Input and File Output
24. Working with Multi-File Programs
25. Understanding Scope
26. Appendix

Jeff Szuhay has over 30 years of experience in many facets of computer software development: analysis, design, testing, and training. He earned his BS in Computer Science in 1988 from the University of Pittsburgh. Most of those years have been spent programming in C and C-like languages, including C++, Objective-C, C#, and JavaScript. He currently develops application software using Objective-C.