C Language Fundamentals

C language Fundamentals
C Tokens
In C programs, each word and punctuation is referred to as a token. C Tokens are the
smallest building block or smallest unit of a C program.
The compiler breaks a program into the smallest possible units and proceeds to the
various stages of the compilation, which is called token.
C Supports Six Types of Tokens:
1. Identifiers
2. Keywords
3. Constants
4. Strings
5. Operators
6. Special Symbols
C Identifiers
Identifiers are names given to different entities such as constants, variables, structures,
functions, etc.
Example:
int amount;
double totalbalance;
In the above example, amount and totalbalance are identifiers.

Int and double are keywords.
Rules for Naming Identifiers

• An identifier can only have alphanumeric characters (a-z , A-Z , 0-9) (i.e. letters & digits)
and underscore( _ ) symbol.
• Identifier names must be unique
• The first character must be an alphabet or underscore.
• You cannot use a keyword as identifiers.
• Only the first thirty-one (31) characters are significant.
• It must not contain white spaces.
• Identifiers are case-sensitive.
C Keywords
The C Keywords must be in your information because you can not use them as a
variable name.
You can't use a keyword as an identifier in your C programs, its reserved words in C
library and used to perform an internal operation. The meaning and working of these
keywords are already known to the compiler.
Outline:
# C Keywords List
# Example Where and How Keywords are Used in the Program
# Keywords in C - Video Tutorial
C Keywords List
A list of 32 reserved keywords in c language is 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
Example Where and How Keywords are Used in the Program

Example:
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
float a, b;
printf("Showing how keywords are used.");
return 0;
}
In the above program, float and return are keywords. The float is used to declare
variables, and return is used to return an integer type value in this program.
C Constants
Constants are like a variable, except that their value never changes during execution
once defined.
C Constants is the most fundamental and essential part of the C programming
language. Constants in C are the fixed values that are used in a program, and its value
remains the same during the entire execution of the program.
• Constants are also called literals.

• Constants can be any of the data types.
• It is considered best practice to define constants using only upper-case names.
•
Outline:
# Constant Definition in C
# Constant Types in C
# Integer Constant
# Real constant
# Single Character Constants
# String Constants
# Backslash character constant
Constant Definition in C
Syntax:
const type constant_name;
const keyword defines a constant in C.

Example:
#include<stdio.h>
main()
{
const int SIDE = 10;
int area;
area = SIDE*SIDE;
printf("The area of the square with side: %d is: %d sq. units"
, SIDE, area);
}
Program Output:
Putting const either before or after the type is possible.

int const SIDE = 10;
or
const int SIDE = 10;
Constant Types in C
Constants are categorized into two basic types, and each of these types has its
subtypes/categories. These are:
Primary Constants
1. Numeric Constants
o Integer Constants
o Real Constants
2. Character Constants
o Single Character Constants
o String Constants
o Backslash Character Constants
Integer Constant
It's referring to a sequence of digits. Integers are of three types viz:
1. Decimal Integer
2. Octal Integer
3. Hexadecimal Integer
Example:
15, -265, 0, 99818, +25, 045, 0X6
Real constant
The numbers containing fractional parts like 99.25 are called real or floating points
constant.
Single Character Constants

It simply contains a single character enclosed within ' and ' (a pair of single quote). It is
to be noted that the character '8' is not the same as 8. Character constants have a
specific set of integer values known as ASCII values (American Standard Code for
Information Interchange).
Example:
'X', '5', ';'
String Constants
These are a sequence of characters enclosed in double quotes, and they may include
letters, digits, special characters, and blank spaces. It is again to be noted that "G" and
'G' are different - because "G" represents a string as it is enclosed within a pair of
double quotes whereas 'G' represents a single character.
Example:
"Hello!", "2015", "2+1"
Backslash character constant

C supports some character constants having a backslash in front of it. The lists of
backslash characters have a specific meaning which is known to the compiler. They are
also termed as "Escape Sequence".
For Example:
\t is used to give a tab

\n is used to give a new line
Secondary Constant
• Array
• Pointer
• Structure
• Union
• Enum

C Language Fundamentals

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

C Language Fundamentals

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

C Language Fundamentals

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

C language Fundamentals

In the above example, amount and totalbalance are identifiers.

Rules for Naming Identifiers

break else long switch

case enum register typedef

char extern return union

const float short unsigned

continue for signed void

default goto sizeof volatile

Example Where and How Keywords are Used in the Program

• Constants are also called literals.

const keyword defines a constant in C.

Putting const either before or after the type is possible.

Single Character Constants

'X', '5', ';'

"Hello!", "2015", "2+1"

Backslash character constant

\t is used to give a tab

You might also like