Basic C Programming Terms
Data Types
Integer - Used to store whole numbers (e.g., int, short, long, long
long).
Floating-point - Used to store real numbers (e.g., float, double, long
double).
Character - Used to store a single character (e.g., char).
Boolean - Used to store true or false values (e.g., bool).
Void - Used to indicate the absence of a value (e.g., void functions).
Variables
Identifier - A name given to a variable to reference its value in
memory.
Declaration - The process of specifying a variable's data type and
name.
Initialization - The process of assigning an initial value to a variable.
Scope - The region of code where a variable is accessible.
Operators
Arithmetic - Used for mathematical operations (e.g., +, -, *, /, %).
Relational - Used to compare values (e.g., ==, !=, <, >, <=, >=).
Logical - Used to combine logical expressions (e.g., &&, ||, !).
Bitwise - Used to perform operations on individual bits of a value
(e.g., &, |, ^, ~, <<, >>).
Assignment - Used to assign values to variables (e.g., =, +=, -=,
*=, /=, %=, <<=, >>=).
Conditional - Used to select between different code blocks based on a
condition (e.g., ? - ).
Comma - Used to separate expressions in a larger expression.
Control Flow Statements
If-else - Used to execute different code blocks based on a condition.
Switch - Used to select one of several code blocks based on the value
of an expression.
For loop - Used to execute a block of code repeatedly for a specified
number of times.
While loop - Used to execute a block of code repeatedly as long as a
condition is true.
Do-while loop - Similar to a while loop, but the condition is checked
after the code block is executed.
Break - Used to exit a loop or switch statement prematurely.
Continue - Used to skip the current iteration of a loop and proceed to
the next one.
Functions
Definition - The process of creating a function with a name,
parameters, and a body.
Call - The process of invoking a function to execute its code.
Return value - The value that a function sends back to the calling
code.
Parameters - Values passed to a function when it is called.
Arguments - The actual values that are used when a function is
called.
Pointers
Address - The location of a variable in memory.
Pointer variable - A variable that stores the address of another
variable.
Dereferencing - The process of accessing the value stored at the
address pointed to by a pointer.
Null pointer - A pointer that points to no valid memory location.
Arrays
Collection - A group of elements of the same data type.
Index - A number used to access a specific element in an array.
Multidimensional array - An array of arrays.
Structures
User-defined data type - A collection of variables of different data
types.
Member - A variable within a structure.
Dot operator - Used to access members of a structure.
Arrow operator - Used to access members of a structure through a
pointer.
Unions
Similar to structures - A collection of variables of different data
types, but only one member can be active at a time.
Preprocessor Directives
Include - Used to include header files.
Define - Used to define constants or macros.
Ifdef, ifndef, else, endif - Used for conditional compilation.
