C C Basics C Data Types C Operators C Input and Output C Control Flow C Functions C Arrays CS

Tokens in C
A token in C can be defined as the smallest individual element of the C
programming language that is meaningful to the compiler. It is the basic
component of a C program.

Types of Tokens in C
The tokens of C language can be classified into six types based on the
functions they are used to perform. The types of C tokens are as follows:

1. Keywords
2. Identifiers
3. Constants
4. Strings
5. Special Symbols
6. Operators

1. C Token – Keywords
The keywords are pre-defined or reserved words in a programming
language. Each keyword is meant to perform a specific function in a
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 meaning to the keyword which is not allowed. You cannot redefine
keywords. However, you can specify the text to be substituted for keywords
before compilation by using C preprocessor directives. C language supports
32 keywords which are given below:

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

2. C Token – Identifiers
Identifiers are used as the general terminology for the naming of variables,
functions, and arrays. These are user-defined names consisting of an
arbitrarily long sequence of letters and digits with either a letter or the
underscore(_) as a first character. Identifier names must differ in spelling and
case from any keywords. You cannot use keywords as identifiers; they are
reserved for special use. Once declared, you can use the identifier in later
program statements to refer to the associated value. A special identifier
called a statement label can be used in goto statements.

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Rules for Naming Identifiers

Certain rules should be followed while naming c identifiers which are as

follows:

They must begin with a letter or underscore(_).

They must consist of only letters, digits, or underscore. No other special
character is allowed.
It should not be a keyword.
It must not contain white space.
It should be up to 31 characters long as only the first 31 characters are
significant.

Note: Identifiers are case-sensitive so names like variable and Variable

will be treated as different.

For example,

main: method name.

a: variable name.

3. C Token – Constants
The constants refer to the variables with fixed values. They are like normal
variables but with the difference that their values can not be modified in the
program once they are defined.

Constants may belong to any of the data types.

Examples of Constants in C

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 4. C Token – Strings
Strings are nothing but an array of characters ended with a null character
(‘\0’). This null character indicates the end of the string. Strings are always
enclosed in double quotes. Whereas, a character is enclosed in single quotes
in C and C++.

Examples of String

char string[20] = {‘g’, ’e’, ‘e’, ‘k’, ‘s’, ‘f’, ‘o’, ‘r’, ‘g’,
’e’, ‘e’, ‘k’, ‘s’, ‘\0’};
char string[20] = “geeksforgeeks”;
char string [] = “geeksforgeeks”;

5. C Token – Special Symbols

The following special symbols are used in C having some special meaning
and thus, cannot be used for some other purpose. Some of these are listed
below:

Brackets[]: Opening and closing brackets are used as array element

references. These indicate single and multidimensional subscripts.
Parentheses(): These special symbols are used to indicate function calls
and function parameters.
Braces{}: These opening and ending curly braces mark the start and end
of a block of code containing more than one executable statement.
Comma (, ): It is used to separate more than one statement like for
separating parameters in function calls.
Colon(:): It is an operator that essentially invokes something called an
initialization list.
Semicolon(;): It is known as a statement terminator. It indicates the end
of one logical entity. That’s why each individual statement must be ended
with a semicolon.
Asterisk (*): It is used to create a pointer variable and for the
multiplication of variables.
Assignment operator(=): It is used to assign values and for logical
operation validation.
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 Period (.): Used to access members of a structure or union.
Tilde(~): Used as a destructor to free some space from memory.

6. C Token – Operators
Operators are symbols that trigger an action when applied to C variables
and other objects. The data items on which operators act are called
operands.
Depending on the number of operands that an operator can act upon,
operators can be classified as follows:

Unary Operators: Those operators that require only a single operand to

act upon are known as unary operators.For Example increment and
decrement operators
Binary Operators: Those operators that require two operands to act upon
are called binary operators. Binary operators can further are classified
into:
1. Arithmetic operators
2. Relational Operators
3. Logical Operators
4. Assignment Operators
5. Bitwise Operator

Ternary Operator: The operator that requires three operands to act upon
is called the ternary operator. Conditional Operator(?) is also called the
ternary operator.

This article is contributed by I.HARISH KUMAR.

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