Learn C Programming with Free PDF Books: A List of Recommended Resources
C PDF Download: How to Learn C Programming Easily and Effectively
Introduction
C programming is one of the most popular and widely used programming languages in the world. It is a low-level language that gives you direct access to the hardware and memory of your computer. It is also a powerful language that can be used to create operating systems, compilers, games, embedded systems, and more.
c pdf download
But how can you learn C programming easily and effectively? One of the best ways is to download C PDF books for free and read them at your own pace. In this article, we will show you what C programming is, why you should learn it, and how to download C PDF books for free. We will also cover some of the basic and advanced topics of C programming that you should know.
So, if you are interested in learning C programming, keep reading this article and follow the links to download C PDF books for free.
C Programming Basics
Before you start learning C programming, you need to understand some of the basic concepts and syntax of the language. Here are some of the topics that you should learn first:
Data types and variables
Data types are the categories of data that you can use in your program. They define how much memory space is allocated for each data item and how they are stored and manipulated. Some of the common data types in C are int (integer), char (character), float (floating-point number), double (double-precision floating-point number), etc.
Variables are the names that you give to data items in your program. They allow you to store and access data values easily. You need to declare variables before using them in your program. For example:
int x; // declare an integer variable named x x = 10; // assign 10 to x char c; // declare a character variable named c c = 'A'; // assign 'A' to c
Operators and expressions
Operators are the symbols that perform certain operations on data values. For example, + (addition), - (subtraction), * (multiplication), / (division), % (modulo), etc. Expressions are the combinations of operators and operands (data values) that produce a result. For example:
x + y // an expression that adds x and y x * 2 // an expression that multiplies x by 2 c - 'A' // an expression that subtracts 'A' from c
Control structures
Control structures are the statements that control the flow of execution of your program. They allow you to make decisions, repeat actions, or jump to different parts of your program based on certain conditions. Some of the common control structures in C are if-else (conditional statement), switch-case (multiple-choice statement), for (loop statement), while (loop statement), do-while (loop statement), break (exit statement), continue (skip statement), goto (jump statement), etc.
For example:
if (x > 10) // if x is greater than 10 printf("x is large\n"); // print "x is large" else // otherwise printf("x is small\n"); // print "x is small" switch (c) // switch on the value of c case 'A': // if c is 'A' printf("c is A\n"); // print "c is A" break; // exit the switch case 'B': // if c is 'B' printf("c is B\n"); // print "c is B" break; // exit the switch default: // otherwise printf("c is something else\n"); // print "c is something else" for (int i = 0; i 0) // while x is positive printf("%d\n", x); // print x x--; // decrement x do // do at least once printf("%d\n", x); // print x x++; // increment x while (x
Functions
Functions are the blocks of code that perform a specific task. They allow you to modularize your program and reuse code. You can define your own functions or use the predefined functions from the standard library. To define a function, you need to specify its name, return type, parameters, and body. For example:
int add(int a, int b) // define a function named add that takes two integers as parameters and returns an integer int sum; // declare a local variable named sum sum = a + b; // assign the sum of a and b to sum return sum; // return the value of sum
To use a function, you need to call it with the appropriate arguments. For example:
int x, y, z; // declare three integer variables x = 10; // assign 10 to x y = 20; // assign 20 to y z = add(x, y); // call the add function with x and y as arguments and assign the result to z printf("%d\n", z); // print z
Arrays and strings
Arrays are the data structures that store multiple values of the same data type in a contiguous memory location. They allow you to access and manipulate data values easily using an index. To declare an array, you need to specify its name, data type, and size. For example:
int arr[10]; // declare an integer array named arr with 10 elements arr[0] = 1; // assign 1 to the first element of arr arr[9] = 10; // assign 10 to the last element of arr
Strings are the arrays of characters that store text data. They are terminated by a null character ('\0') that indicates the end of the string. To declare a string, you can use an array of char or a pointer to char. For example:
char str1[10] = "Hello"; // declare a string named str1 with 10 characters and initialize it with "Hello" char *str2 = "World"; // declare a pointer to char named str2 and initialize it with "World" printf("%s %s\n", str1, str2); // print str1 and str2
C Programming Advanced Topics
Once you have mastered the basics of C programming, you can move on to some of the advanced topics that will enhance your skills and knowledge. Here are some of the topics that you should learn next:
Pointers
Pointers are the variables that store the memory addresses of other variables or data items. They allow you to access and modify data values indirectly using their addresses. To declare a pointer, you need to specify its name, data type, and an asterisk (*). For example:
int x = 10; // declare an integer variable named x and assign 10 to it int *p; // declare an integer pointer named p p = &x; // assign the address of x to p using the address-of operator (&) printf("%d\n", *p); // print the value of x using the dereference operator (*) *p = 20; // assign 20 to x using p printf("%d\n", x); // print x
Structures and unions
Structures and unions are the data structures that allow you to group different data types into a single unit. They allow you to create complex data types that can represent real-world entities and concepts. To declare a structure or a union, you need to use the keywords struct or union, followed by a name and a list of members. For example:
struct student // declare a structure named student char name[20]; // a member of type char array int age; // a member of type int float marks; // a member of type float ; union data // declare a union named data int x; // a member of type int char y; // a member of type char float z; // a member of type float ;
The difference between structures and unions is that structures allocate separate memory space for each member, while unions share the same memory space for all members. Therefore, structures can store different values for each member, while unions can only store one value at a time for all members.
To use a structure or a union, you need to create an instance (object) of it and access its members using the dot (.) operator. For example:
struct student s1; // create an instance of student named s1 strcpy(s1.name, "Alice"); // assign "Alice" to s1.name using the strcpy function s1.age = 18; // assign 18 to s1.age s1.marks = 95.5; // assign 95.5 to s1.marks printf("%s %d %f\n", s1.name, s1.age, s1.marks); // print s1.name, s1.age, and s1.marks union data d1; // create an instance of data named d1 d1.x = 10; // assign 10 to d1.x printf("%d\n", d1.x); // print d1.x d1.y = 'A'; // assign 'A' to d1.y printf("%c\n", d1.y); // print d1.y d1.z = 3.14; // assign 3.14 to d1.z printf("%f\n", d1.z); // print d1.z
File handling
File handling is the process of creating, reading, writing, updating, and deleting files using your program. It allows you to store and manipulate data permanently in external storage devices such as hard disks, flash drives, etc. To perform file handling in C, you need to use the functions and data types from the standard library header file stdio.h. Some of the common functions and data types are fopen (open a file), fclose (close a file), fgetc (read a character from a file), fputc (write a character to a file), fgets (read a string from a file), fputs (write a string to a file), fprintf (write formatted data to a file), fscanf (read formatted data from a file), etc.
To use these functions, you need to create a pointer to FILE type that represents the file stream. For example:
FILE *fp; // declare a pointer to FILE type named fp fp = fopen("test.txt", "w"); // open a file named test.txt in write mode and assign it to fp if (fp == NULL) // if the file cannot be opened printf("Error opening file\n"); // print an error message exit(1); // exit the program with an error code fprintf(fp, "Hello world\n"); // write "Hello world" followed by a newline character to the file using fp fclose(fp); // close the file using fp
Dynamic memory allocation
Dynamic memory allocation is the process of allocating and freeing memory space at runtime using your program. It allows you to create and manipulate data structures that have variable sizes and lifetimes. To perform dynamic memory allocation in C, you need to use the functions and data types from the standard library header file stdlib.h. Some of the common functions and data types are malloc (allocate memory), calloc (allocate and initialize memory), realloc (reallocate memory), free (free memory), size_t (unsigned integer type for representing sizes), etc.
To use these functions, you need to create a pointer to the data type that you want to allocate memory for. For example:
int *p; // declare an integer pointer named p p = (int *) malloc(sizeof(int)); // allocate memory for one integer and assign it to p using type casting if (p == NULL) // if the memory cannot be allocated printf("Error allocating memory\n"); // print an error message exit(1); // exit the program with an error code *p = 10; // assign 10 to the memory location pointed by p printf("%d\n", *p); // print the value pointed by p free(p); // free the memory pointed by p
Preprocessor directives
Preprocessor directives are the commands that instruct the preprocessor to perform certain actions before compiling your program. They allow you to define macros, include header files, control conditional compilation, etc. To use a preprocessor directive, you need to start with a hash (#) symbol followed by the directive name and its arguments. For example:
#define PI 3.14 // define a macro named PI with the value 3.14 #include // include the header file stdio.h #ifdef DEBUG // if DEBUG is defined printf("Debug mode on\n"); // print "Debug mode on" #else // otherwise printf("Debug mode off\n"); // print "Debug mode off" #endif // end of conditional compilation
Conclusion
In this article, we have shown you how to learn C programming easily and effectively by downloading C PDF books for free. We have also covered some of the basic and advanced topics of C programming that you should know. We hope that this article has helped you to understand and appreciate the power and beauty of C programming.
If you want to download C PDF books for free, you can follow these links:
C Tutorial - Programiz
C Programming Tutorial - TutorialsPoint
C Programming - Cardiff University
The GNU C Reference Manual - GNU Project
C Programming - Carnegie Mellon University
FAQs
Here are some of the frequently asked questions about C programming and C PDF books:
Q: What are the benefits of learning C programming?
A: Some of the benefits of learning C programming are:
It is a low-level language that gives you direct access to the hardware and memory of your computer.
It is a powerful language that can be used to create operating systems, compilers, games, embedded systems, and more.
It is a portable language that can run on different platforms and architectures.
It is a base language that influences many other programming languages such as C++, Java, Python, etc.
It is a widely used language that has a large community and support.
Q: What are the challenges of learning C programming?
A: Some of the challenges of learning C programming are:
It is a low-level language that requires you to manage memory allocation and deallocation manually.
It is a powerful language that gives you a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibility.
It is a complex language that has many features and syntax rules that can be confusing and error-prone.
It is a base language that lacks some of the modern features and abstractions such as object-oriented programming, exception handling, generics, etc.
It is a widely used language that has many variations and standards that can be incompatible and inconsistent.
Q: How long does it take to learn C programming?
A: The answer to this question depends on many factors such as your prior knowledge, learning style, motivation, resources, etc. However, a general estimate is that it takes about 3 to 6 months to learn the basics of C programming and about 1 to 2 years to master the advanced topics of C programming.
Q: What are the best C PDF books for beginners?
A: Some of the best C PDF books for beginners are:
The C Programming Language (2nd Edition) by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie
C Programming: A Modern Approach (2nd Edition) by K. N. King
Programming in ANSI C (4th Edition) by E. Balagurusamy
C: How to Program (8th Edition) by Paul Deitel and Harvey Deitel
Let Us C (16th Edition) by Yashavant Kanetkar
Q: What are the best C PDF books for advanced learners?
A: Some of the best C PDF books for advanced learners are:
Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Peter van der Linden
Advanced C Programming by Example by John W. Perry
The C Programming Language: Design and Implementation (4th Edition) by David R. Hanson
C in Practice: Problems and Solutions in C Programming by S. K. Bajpai
C Traps and Pitfalls by Andrew Koenig
Q: How can I practice C programming?
A: Some of the ways to practice C programming are:
Write and run your own programs using an online compiler or an IDE.
Solve coding challenges and problems from online platforms such as HackerRank, CodeChef, LeetCode, etc.
Read and analyze code from other sources such as books, websites, blogs, forums, etc.
Debug and optimize your code using tools such as gdb, valgrind, clang, etc.
Participate in online contests and hackathons to test your skills and learn from others.
71b2f0854b