Appendices

The appendices collect reference sheets, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of terms to help you understand and apply C programming concepts.

Appendix A: Reference sheets

A.1 Common C functions

Standard input/output (stdio.h):

printf: Prints formatted output to the standard output.
scanf: Reads formatted input from the standard input.
fprintf: Prints formatted output to a file.
fscanf: Reads formatted input from a file.
fopen: Opens a file.
fclose: Closes a file.
fgets: Reads a string from a file.
fputs: Writes a string to a file.

String handling (string.h):

strlen: Returns the length of a string.
strcpy: Copies a string.
strncpy: Copies a specified number of characters from a string.
strcat: Concatenates two strings.
strncat: Concatenates a specified number of characters from a string.
strcmp: Compares two strings.
strncmp: Compares a specified number of characters from two strings.

Memory management (stdlib.h):

malloc: Allocates memory.
calloc: Allocates memory and initializes it to zero.
realloc: Reallocates memory.
free: Frees allocated memory.

Mathematical functions (math.h):

sqrt: Computes the square root.
pow: Raises a number to a power.
sin, cos, tan: Trigonometric functions.
fabs: Computes the absolute value of a floating-point number.

A.2 C syntax cheat sheet

Variable declarations:

int x;
float y;
char z;

Control structures:

// If-Else
if (condition) {
    // code
} else if (condition) {
    // code
} else {
    // code
}

// For Loop
for (initialization; condition; increment) {
    // code
}

// While Loop
while (condition) {
    // code
}

// Do-While Loop
do {
    // code
} while (condition);

Functions:

return_type function_name(parameters) {
    // code
    return value;
}

Pointers:

int *ptr;
ptr = &variable;
value = *ptr;

Appendix B: Further reading and resources

These resources go deeper into C programming and its advanced topics.

Books:

“The C Programming Language” by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie
“C Programming: A Modern Approach” by K.N. King
“C Primer Plus” by Stephen Prata

Online courses:

Websites:

Appendix C: Glossary of terms

Array: A collection of elements of the same type stored in contiguous memory locations.
Buffer overflow: A condition in which data exceeds a buffer’s storage capacity and overwrites adjacent memory.
Compiler: A program that translates source code into machine code.
Dangling pointer: A pointer that points to a memory location that has been freed.
Dynamic memory allocation: Allocating memory storage at runtime, using functions such as malloc, calloc, and realloc.
Function prototype: A declaration of a function that specifies the function’s name, return type, and parameters.
Library: A collection of precompiled functions and definitions that programs can use for added functionality.
Pointer: A variable that stores the memory address of another variable.
Struct: A user-defined data type in C that groups related variables of different types.
Variable: A named storage location in memory that holds a value.