Getting Started with the C Language
This course will teach you in a practical way, with a combination of slides and demo code, the basic aspects of the C programming language and tools, so that you can be productive with the C language, and be able to write beginning applications in C.
What you'll learn
In this course, “Getting Started with the C Language,” you’ll learn how to write quality C code and start developing applications using the C language. First, you’ll explore the basic structure of a C console application, learn the role of the C compiler, and how to build your C code from both the command line and using an IDE (VS Code). Next, you’ll discover how to define variables in C and how to perform basic I/O. Then, you’ll learn the syntax for basic decision making in C, and how to write loops using while, do/while and for statements. Finally, you’ll learn how to write your own functions in C and how to call them, including parameter passing by value vs. by reference (using pointers. When you’re finished with this course, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to be productive with the C language and to start developing beginning applications in C, and you’ll be ready to study more advanced aspects of the language with follow-up courses.
Table of contents
- Introduction 1m
- Some Important Applications of C 3m
- Starting with a Minimal Skeleton Code 3m
- Writing Your First C Program: “Hello World” 3m
- The Role of the C Compiler 3m
- Compiling from the Command Line 2m
- Prerequisites for Setting Up VS Code for C Development on Windows 3m
- Adding a Source Code File to VS Code 1m
- Building Your C Code with VS Code 2m
- Setting Up the C/C++ Debugger with VS Code 2m
- Debugging Your Code 2m
- Fixing a Build Error 2m
- An Exercise for the Learner 1m
- Summary 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Starting with a Concrete Example: Temperature Converter 2m
- Creating Variables 2m
- Naming Variables 2m
- Reading User Input with scanf 3m
- Processing Data with Operators 2m
- Printing Formatted Output with printf 2m
- Demo: Temperature Conversion in Action 3m
- Representing Integers with the int Type 1m
- Summary 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Creating String Variables in C 2m
- Memory Layout of C Strings 3m
- The char Type and Escape Sequences 3m
- Basic I/O with Strings 3m
- Demo: Basic String I/O in Action 2m
- Basic String Operations: String Copy and Concatenation 2m
- Writing Secure Code with Safe String Functions 3m
- Demo: String Manipulation Functions in Action 2m
- String Length vs. Size 1m
- Demo: String Length vs. Size in Action 1m
- A Brief Touch on Representing International Text with UTF-8 2m
- Summary 2m
- Introduction 1m
- Making Decisions with the if-else Statement 3m
- Introducing Relational and Logical Operators 2m
- Demo: if-else in Action 2m
- Making More Complex Decisions with the if-else-if Ladder 1m
- Demo: The if-else-if Ladder in Action 1m
- Demo: A Subtle Beginner Bug Involving the if Statement 3m
- Declaring Variables Inside if Statements 1m
- Nesting if Statements 1m
- Selecting between Multiple Values with the switch Statement 3m
- Demo: The switch Statement in Action 1m
- Simplifying Conditional Code with the Ternary Operator 2m
- Summary 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Iterating with the for Loop 3m
- Demo: The for Loop in Action 1m
- Demo: Underlining a String Using the for Loop 1m
- Demo: Printing a Multiplication Table with Nested for Loops 1m
- Iterating While a Condition Is True with while and do-while Loops 2m
- Demo: The while Loop in Action 2m
- Demo: do-while Loop in action 1m
- Changing the Normal Execution Flow with Control Statements 2m
- Demo: Beginner’s Bugs: Paying Attention to Infinite Loops 4m
- Summary 1m
- Introduction 1m
- Why Do You Need Functions? 2m
- Writing Your First Function in C 5m
- Demo: Your First Function in Action 3m
- A Fresh New Look at main() 2m
- Demo: A Swap Function with a Subtle Bug 5m
- Analyzing the Subtle Bug in the Swap Function 3m
- A Brief Introduction to Pointers 2m
- Parameter Passing by Reference Using Pointers 1m
- Demo: Fixing the Swap Function with Pointer Parameters 1m
- A Brief Touch on Other Applications of Pointers 2m
- Summary and Thank You 2m
Course FAQ
The C language is a widely accepted programming language for operating systems and applications. It is used to create applications and break down complex progams into simpler programs called funtions.
This course is for anyone that wants to learn more about the C programming language. This is a beginner course so all are welocme with no previous experience or knowledge needed. If you are looking for a career in software development or IT, this course is for you.
In this C course you will learn the basics of the language and how to use the different tools to write applications in C. You will learn the syntax for basic decision making in C, how to create variables, how to process data with operators, how to work with strings, how to create functions, and much much more.
There are no prerequisites needed to take this C programming language course. Basic coding knowledge is always a plus but not required to get started learning the C language.
About the author
Giovanni Dicanio is a computer programmer specialized in both cross-platform C and C++, and Windows operating system development. Giovanni wrote computer programming articles on C++, OpenGL and other programming subjects on Italian computer magazines. He recently authored some C++ feature articles for MSDN Magazine, too. He contributed code to some open-source projects as well. His computer programming experience dates back to the glorious Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 golden days, with Basic and a... more