C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide

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 neverbeen this simple!

Who knew how simple C programming could be?

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:

• 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

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.

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. He has written books on C programming and professional wrestling, and is still looking for a way to combine the two into one strange amalgam.

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

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