What is C Programming Language?

If an individual initially learns code in C, he will be better able to master any current programming language. Studying C can help you comprehend a great deal of the OS’s fundamental structure. For example, dealing with pointers, memory locations, and so forth. In this article, you will learn basics of C Programming language, what it is, its features, applications, syntax etc. Let’s start!!

Why learn C language?

This language is required for both professionals in the workforce and learners who aspire to be renowned programmers. These are a few of the main explanations for why you should learn the programming language C for developing software:

It assists consumers in comprehending the inner workings of a machine. It helps you understand how a machine stores and retrieves information.

Understanding other languages used for programming, such as Python, Java, and others, gets simpler after understanding C.

A developer who is fluent in the C language is given the possibility to work on a variety of open-source endeavours. Some of the most prominent open-source projects, such as the Python interpreter, Linux kernel, SQLite database structure, and numerous others, have been created in C.

History of C language:

Dennis Ritchie, a brilliant computational scientist, established a new programming syntax called ‘C’ at Bell Laboratories in 1972. It was built using the ‘ALGOL’, ‘BCPL’, and ‘B’ coding languages. The ‘C’ programming language incorporates all of these aspects as well as many other notions that distinguish it from languages other than C.

C is a sophisticated programming dialect that is closely related to the UNIX OS. The majority of the programs that run on UNIX are written in ‘C’. In the beginning, C was restricted to UNIX but soon became commercial. ‘C’ now operates on a wide range of computer systems and hardware configurations. As it began to evolve, several other variants emerged.

Because the computers had previous versions, it was often hard for the engineers to maintain up with the current version. In order to ensure that the ‘C’ system stays normal, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) established industrial standards for the ‘C’ language in 1989. The International Standards Organisation (ISO) later certified it in 1990. The language ‘C’ is sometimes known as ‘ANSI C’.

Features of C Programming language:

The following are the primary characteristics of C programming, the language in question:

• Compact and versatile
• Low-level Memory Access, High Speed, and Tidy Syntax
• These characteristics make the C language appropriate for system programming, such as operating system or compiler design.

Structure of C program:

This is the basic structure of a C program. You can see both the code and the explanation.

Components of C Programming language:

A C program’s components are as follows:

1. Header Files

The addition of Header files in a C program is its initial and most important element. A header file is a document with the extension.h that includes C function definitions and macro declarations that may be utilised by multiple source files. A preprocessor, which is a programme executed by the compiler, processes all lines that begin with #. The preprocessor in the preceding instance transfers the processed language from stdio.h to our file. In C,.h files are known as header documents.

Many of the C Header files are as follows:

• stddef.h – This file defines a number of important types and macros.
• stdint.h – Specifies the precise width of integer kinds.
• stdio.h – This file defines the basic input and output methods.
• stdlib.h – This file provides numeric conversion routines, a pseudo-random networking power source, and a memory assignment
• string.h – String handling functions are defined here.
• math.h – A library that provides basic functions in mathematics.

2. Main Method

The main() function is declared in the following section of a C programme. It is the beginning of a C programme, and operation typically starts with the initial line of the main() function. The blank parentheses suggest the main function does not accept any parameters.

The int placed preceding main() denotes the return type of main(). The main function’s return value shows the state of program completion. More information on the return type may be found in this page.

3. Body of Main

In a C programme, the body of a function relates to the words that comprise that function. It might be everything from operations to sorting, searching, printing, and so on. The body of a function is defined by a pair of curvy brackets. Curly brackets must be used to begin and finish all functions.

4. Statement

Statements are the commands that the compiler receives. A statement in C is always followed by a semicolon (;). In this scenario, we use the printf() function as a way to command the compiler to show the word “Hello World” on the display.

5. Return statement

The return statement is the last portion of any C function. The phrase “return” describes the values returned by the function in question. The return phrase and return value are determined by the function’s return type. In our programme, the return statement returns the value of main(). An OS may utilise the returned value to determine the state of your program’s completion. The value 0 usually indicates an effective conclusion.

Working of C language:

C is a compiled programming language. A compiler, as the name suggests, is a particular tool that translates a program and turns it into an object file readable by machines. Following the compilation procedure, the linker will join many object files into an executable file that can be used to run the program.

Several compilers are now accessible on the internet, which means you may utilise any of them. The capability of C will never change, and all compilers will include the capabilities needed to run both ‘C’ and ‘C++’ programs.

Applications of C language:

1. Computer Operating Systems

UNIX, the first advanced programming language-based operating system, was created in the language known as C. Later, C was used to write Microsoft Windows and many apps for Android.

2. Embedded Computer Systems

Because it is directly tied to computer equipment, the C programming language is regarded as an excellent choice for scripting programmes and controllers of embedded machines.

3. Graphical User Interface

Graphical User Interface (GUI) is an acronym for Graphical User Interface. Photoshop that is created by Adobe and one of the more extensively used editors for images from the start, was invented with the help of C. C was later used to construct Adobe Premiere and Illustrator.

4. New Programming Frameworks

C gave rise to C++, a computer language that includes all of the characteristics of C. It also gave rise to the notion of object-focused programming, and to a number of additional programming languages that are widely used in today’s world. It allows for speedier program execution.

5. Search engines

C/C++ was used to create the Google directory structure and the Google Chrome browser. Furthermore, the Google Open Source ecosystem includes a big number of projects that use C/C++. Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird were created in C/C++ since both were open-source internet client applications.

6. MySQL

MySQL, another open-source undertaking, was created in C/C++ and is utilised in Database Management Systems.

7. Design of a Compiler

The building of compilers was one of the more popular applications of the C language. The compilers of many languages were created with this in mind. It was used to create several notable compilers like Clang-C, MinGW and Apple C.

Benefits of C language:

• Procedural Language: In a C programme, the commands are executed step-by-step.
• Efficiency: The C language is substantially quicker than a lot of other programming languages, including Python, Java, and many others.
• Portability: A C program may be transported from a single platform to a different one, and we can also execute it on that system for free.
• General purposes: The programming language C may be used to create operating systems, files, and devices with embedded systems, among other things.
• Ease of learning: The C programming language is simple to grasp and master.
• Versatility: C program compilation can occur on a variety of computer programmes.

Conclusion

We hope this article serves as an easy introduction to the C programming language. Stay tuned to learn the language in depth with our new set of focused tutorials.