C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide (3RD 14 Edition)

C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide, Third Edition

Updated for C11

Write powerful C programs…without becoming a technical expert! This book is the fastest way to get comfortable with C, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. You’ll learn all the basics: how to organize programs, store and display data, work with variables, operators, I/O, pointers, arrays, functions, and much more. C programming has never been this simple!

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Who knew how simple C programming could be?

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This is today’s best beginner’s guide to writing C programs—and to learning skills you can use with practically any language. Its simple, practical instructions will help you start creating useful, reliable C code, from games to mobile apps. Plus, it’s fully updated for the new C11¿standard and today’s free, open source tools! Here’s a small sample of what you’ll learn:

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• Discover free C programming tools for Windows, OS X, or Linux

• Understand the parts of a C program and how they fit together

• Generate output and display it on the screen

• Interact with users and respond to their input

• Make the most of variables by using assignments and expressions

• Control programs by testing data and using logical operators

• Save time and effort by using loops and other techniques

• Build powerful data-entry routines with simple built-in functions

• Manipulate text with strings

• Store information, so it’s easy to access and use

• Manage your data with arrays, pointers, and data structures

• Use functions to make programs easier to write and maintain

• Let C handle all your program’s math for you

• Handle your computer’s memory as efficiently as possible

• Make programs more powerful with preprocessing directives

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Contents at a Glance

PART I: JUMPING RIGHT IN

1 What Is C Programming, and Why Should I Care?

2 Writing Your First C Program

3 What Does This Do? Clarifying Your Code with Comments

4 Your World Premiere—Putting Your Program’s Results5 Adding Variables to Your Programs

6 Adding Words to Your Programs

7 Making Your Programs More Powerful with #include and #define

8 Interacting with Users

PART II: PUTTING C TO WORK FOR YOU

9 Crunching the Numbers—Letting C Handle Math for You10 Powering Up Your Variables with Assignments and Expressions

11 The Fork in the Road—Testing Data to Pick a Path12 Juggling Several Choices with Logical Operators

13 A Bigger Bag of Tricks–Some More Operators for Your Programs

PART III: FLESHING OUT YOUR PROGRAMS

14 Code Repeat—Using Loops to Save Time and Effort15 Looking for Another Way to Create Loops

16 Breaking in and out of Looped Code

17 Making the case for the switch Statement

18 Increasing Your Program’s Output (and Input)19 Getting More from Your Strings

20 Advanced Math (for the Computer, Not You!) .

PART IV: MANAGING DATA WITH YOUR C PROGRAMS

21 Dealing with Arrays22 Searching Arrays

23 Alphabetizing and Arranging Your Data

24 Solving the Mystery of Pointers

25 Arrays and Pointers

26 Maximizing Your Computer’s Memory

27 Setting Up Your Data with Structures

PART V: FILES AND FUNCTIONS

28 Saving Sequential Files to Your Computer29 Saving Random Files to Your Computer

30 Organizing Your Programs with Functions

31 Passing Variables to Your Functions

32 Returning Data from Your Functions

APPENDIXES

A The ASCII Table

B The Draw Poker Program

C isn’t just the foundation for most modern programming languages: it’s a great solution for programs ranging from games to mobile apps. Now, you can painlessly master the newest version of C, and quickly start writing solid, useful code. C Programming Absolute Beginner’s Guide is the fastest way to get comfortable and productive with C11, even if you’re utterly new to C - or to programming!

This friendly, practical book will help you do exactly what you want, one incredibly clear and easy step at a time. World-renowned tech tutorial author Greg Perry reveals C11’s power, and helps you quickly take advantage of it. He provides step-by-step instructions for every task requiring more than one step, many code samples, and screenshots guiding you through complex processes.

You’ll learn all the basics, including how to organize a program, store and display data, and work with variables, operators, I/O, pointers, arrays, and functions. Perry presents updated information on the latest C compilers for Windows, OS X, and Linux, as well as valuable new material on C programming for mobile and game development. Everything’s clear, relevant, easy-to-follow… and, thanks to Perry’s unique voice, it’s even fun!

Greg Perry is a speaker and writer in both the programming and applications sides of computing. He is known for bringing programming topics down to the beginner’s level. Perry has been a programmer and trainer for two decades. He received his first degree in computer science and then earned a Master’s degree in corporate finance. Besides writing, he consults and lectures across the country, including at the acclaimed Software Development programming conferences. Perry is the author of more than 75 other computer books. In his spare time, he gives lectures on traveling in Italy, his second favorite place to be.

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Dean Miller is a writer and editor with more than 20 years of experience in both the publishing and licensed consumer product businesses. Over the years, he has created or helped shape a number of bestselling books and series, including Teach Yourself in 21 Days, Teach Yourself in 24 Hours, and the Unleashed series, all from Sams Publishing.

Part I: First Steps with C

1. What is C Programming?

2. How Do I Get Started in C?

3. How Do I Know What’s Happening?

4. Can I See Results?

5. How Do I Store Stuff?

6. Can C Store Words?

7. What Do #include and #define Mean?

8. Can I Ask the User Questions?

9. How Does C Do Math?

Part II: The Operating Room

10. What Else Can I Do With Expressions?

11. Can I Compare Two Values?

12. How Do I Test Several Things at Once?

13. Are There More Operators?

14. How Can I Do the Same Stuff Over and Over?

15. Are there Other Loops?

16. What If I Want to Stop in the Middle of a Loop?

17. How Can I Test Lots of Values?

18. How Else Can I Control Input and Output?

19. Can You Tell Me More About Strings?

20. Can C Do My Math Homework?

Part IV: C Programs and Lots of Data

21. How Does C Work with Lists?

22. How Can I Search for Data?

23. How Can I Arrange and Alphabetize?

24. What’s the Point?

25. How Are Arrays and Pointers Different?

26. Where’s More Memory?

27. How Do I Store Lots of Data?

Part V: Form Follow Functions

28. Can My Programs Save Stuff on Disk?

29. Is There Another Way to Save Files?

30. How Can I Better Organize My Programs?

31. How Do Functions Share Data?

32. How Can I Perfect My Functions?

Appendixes

A. Where Do I Go From Here?

B. Playing Around with C Blackjack

C. The ASCII Table