Write, Run & Share C Language code online using FreeCodeCompiler's C online compiler for free. It's one of the robust, feature-rich online compilers for C language, running the latest C version which is C18. Getting started with the FreeCodeCompiler's C editor is really simple and pretty fast. The editor shows sample boilerplate code when you choose language as 'C' and start coding!
About C
The C programming language is a versatile and widely used language that is known for its efficiency and low-level programming capabilities. Here's a short introduction along with a simple code example:
#include <stdio.h>// The main function is the entry point of a C programint main() { // Print a message to the console printf("Hello, World!\n"); // Return 0 to indicate successful execution return 0;}The C programming language is known for its simplicity, efficiency, and low-level programming capabilities. Here are some key features of the C language:
Procedural Language: C is a procedural programming language, meaning it follows a top-down design approach where a program is organized into functions.
Low-level Manipulation: C provides direct access to memory, allowing low-level manipulation. This feature is useful for system programming and tasks that require close interaction with hardware.
Structured Language: C supports structured programming, allowing the use of functions, loops, and conditional statements to create well-organized and modular code.
Portability: C programs can be easily ported (adapted) to different platforms with minimal changes. This is due to its minimalistic design and reliance on standard libraries.
Static Typing: C is a statically typed language, meaning variable types must be declared before use. This can catch certain types of errors at compile-time.
Efficient and Fast: C is known for its efficiency and is often used for performance-critical applications, including system-level programming, embedded systems, and game development.
Standard Library: C comes with a standard library that provides a set of functions for common operations, such as input/output, string manipulation, memory allocation, and more.
Pointers: C allows the use of pointers, which are variables that store memory addresses. Pointers provide a powerful mechanism for direct memory access and manipulation.
Recursion: C supports recursion, allowing functions to call themselves. Recursive algorithms can be used for tasks like searching, sorting, and traversing data structures.
Bitwise Operations: C allows bitwise operations, which are useful for manipulating individual bits in data. This is particularly important in embedded systems and low-level programming.
Preprocessor Directives: C uses preprocessor directives (commands starting with #) for tasks such as including libraries, defining constants, and conditional compilation.
These features contribute to C's popularity and widespread use, especially in scenarios where performance and control over system resources are crucial. Keep in mind that while C offers a high level of control, it also requires careful attention to memory management to avoid common pitfalls like buffer overflows and memory leaks.
Read inputs from stdin
FreeCodeCompiler's C online editor supports stdin and users can give inputs to programs using the STDIN textbox under the I/O tab. Following is a sample C program which takes name as input and print your name with hello.
#include <stdio.h>int main(){ char name[50]; printf("Enter name:"); scanf("%s", &name); printf("Hello %s" , name ); return 0; }Syntax help
Loops
- If-Else:When ever you want to perform a set of operations based on a condition if-else is used.
if(conditional-expression) { // code} else { // code}You can also use if-else for nested Ifs and if-else-if ladder when multiple conditions are to be performed on a single variable.
- Switch:Switch is an alternative to if-else-if ladder.
switch(conditional-expression) { case value1: // code break; // optional case value2: // code break; // optional ... default: // code to be executed when all the above cases are not matched; } - For:For loop is used to iterate a set of statements based on a condition.
for(Initialization; Condition; Increment/decrement){ // code }- While:While is also used to iterate a set of statements based on a condition. Usually while is preferred when number of iterations are not known in advance.
while(condition) { // code }- Do-While:Do-while is also used to iterate a set of statements based on a condition. It is mostly used when you need to execute the statements atleast once.
do { // code } while (condition); Arrays
Array is a collection of similar data which is stored in continuous memory addresses. Array values can be fetched using index. Index starts from 0 to size-1.
Syntax
- One dimentional Array:
- data-type array-name[size];
- Two dimensional array:
- data-type array-name[size][size];
Functions
Function is a sub-routine which contains set of statements. Usually functions are written when multiple calls are required to same set of statements which increases re-usuability and modularity.
Two types of functions are present in C
Library Functions:
Library functions are the in-built functions which are declared in header files like printf(),scanf(),puts(),gets() etc.,
User defined functions:
User defined functions are the ones which are written by the programmer based on the requirement.
How to declare a Function
return_type function_name(parameters);How to call a Functionfunction_name (parameters)How to define a Functionreturn_type function_name(parameters) { //code} ```