C Language Complete Exam Notes
These notes cover all major topics in C programming for [Link] students. Prepared with examples
and key points for exam preparation.
Unit 1 – Basics of C
Introduction: Developed by Dennis Ritchie in 1972. General-purpose, structured, mid-level
programming language.
Features of C:
• Simple & efficient
• Portable
• Structured programming
• Rich library functions
• Supports low & high-level programming
Structure of a C Program:
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello, World!");
return 0;
}
Tokens in C:
• Keywords – Reserved words (int, return, if)
• Identifiers – Names of variables/functions
• Constants – Fixed values (10, 'A', 3.14)
• Operators – Symbols for operations (+, -, *)
• Separators – ; , {} () []
Data Types:
• int → 2/4 bytes
• float → 4 bytes
• double → 8 bytes
• char → 1 byte
• void → no value
Unit 2 – Operators & Control Statements
Operators:
• Arithmetic (+, -, *, /, %)
• Relational (==, !=, >, <)
• Logical (&&, ||, !)
• Bitwise (&, |, ^, <<, >>)
• Assignment (=, +=, -=)
• Conditional (?:)
• Increment/Decrement (++/--)
Control Flow:
• if, if-else, nested if
• switch-case
• Loops: for, while, do-while
• Jump: break, continue, goto
Unit 3 – Functions
Functions are blocks of code for reusability.
Types: Library functions (printf, scanf) & User-defined functions
Function Example:
int add(int a, int b) {
return a + b;
}
int main() {
printf("%d", add(3,4));
}
Parameter passing: Call by Value & Call by Reference
Recursion: A function calling itself.
Unit 4 – Arrays & Strings
Arrays: Collection of similar data.
int arr[5] = {1,2,3,4,5};
Strings: Character arrays ending with '\0'.
• strlen()
• strcpy()
• strcat()
• strcmp()
Unit 5 – Pointers
Pointer: A variable storing address of another variable.
int a = 10;
int *p = &a;
printf("%d", *p); // prints 10
Pointer arithmetic, Pointers with arrays, functions, and strings.
Unit 6 – Structures & Unions
Structure Example:
struct student {
int roll;
char name[20];
};
Union: Similar to structures but shares memory.
Difference: Structure stores all members separately; Union shares memory.
Unit 7 – Storage Classes & Preprocessor
Storage Classes:
• auto – default
• static – retains value
• extern – global variable access
• register – fast access
Preprocessor Directives:
• #define – macros
• #include – header files
• #ifdef/#endif – conditional compilation
Unit 8 – File Handling
Files allow storing data permanently.
Important functions: fopen, fclose, fprintf, fscanf, fgetc, fputc
FILE *fp;
fp = fopen("[Link]", "w");
fprintf(fp, "Hello C");
fclose(fp);
