C is a general-purpose programming language. It has been closely related with UNIX operation system (an opensource alternative to windows). When UNIX was developed, both the OS and applications that run on it are written in C. Through it has been called as “System Programming language” because it is useful for writing compiles and operating system. It has been used equally well to write major programs in different domains.

For many years, the definition of ‘C’ was a reference manual in the first edition of “The Programming Language” in 1983 later the AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARD INSTITUTE (ANSI) established a committee to provide modern comprehensive definition to C. The resulting definition was ANSI standards of ANSI ‘C’ was completed late in 1988. Modern compilers already support most of the features of standards.

Over the past few years, this language become one of the most popular programming languages. This is because of the simplicity in the language syntax and semantics. It is one of a very few high-level languages which can be looked like a low-level language.

Structure of a C Program

Documentation Section:

It is an optional section used to write the comments regarding the program and the programmer. i.e., name of the programmer, date it is designed and so on.

The comments are written within the comment symbols /* — — — — — — — */

The code which is mentioned within the comment symbol is referred as non-executable code.

The compiler ignores it. The code will not have any effect on the program.

Link section:

It is the section where we link up the system library header files to our current program. So that the system library function present in those files could be utilized flexibly in our program.

The files are linked by means of a pre-processor directive #include

Example: #include<stdio.h>

Definition Section:

It is also an optional section used to define symbolic constants called macros. The nature of symbolic constant is that it cannot be varied or changed during the execution of the program. A symbolic constant is defined by means of a pre-processor directive #define

Example: #define PI 3.1423

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