Start Learning C In Easy Steps- A Guide

Here, we can see that there is some instructions within the int main(). How do we know it? Well, the brace brackets {} represent the instructions written in a particular part of a code.

Another thing you might have noticed is the #include<stdio.h> header file. The purpose for writing this statement is to let the compiler know what all pre-written code we need in our program. 

This is the simplest program you can write in C. Follow up with learning the syntax for other concepts like data types, keywords, operators,  etc, and learn how to declare variables. 

Step 5: Understand The Flow Of Control In C

Control flow or the flow of control in C refers to how different parts of your code are being executed. When you reach this part of your coding journey, you will focus on extremely crucial topics that can form the building blocks of your code. 

Some of these topics are given below:

• Conditional statements – if-else
• Jump statements – break, continue, return
• Loops – for loop, while loop, do-while loop
• Switch case

After understanding what these are, you can also implement these in your code and practice numerous C programming problems based on these topics to strengthen your foundation. 

Step 6: Learn About Functions in C

Basically, functions in the C language are blocks of code that contain and perform a certain operation. The advantage of creating functions for your C program is to perform a task that is occurring repetitively in your code. 

So, for example, if I have to add 20 sets of numbers, I will not be writing the same logic again and again. It will become time-consuming. To overcome this, I will create a function for addition and will call it in my program wherever it is required. 

Now, when you are learning about functions, you should keep in mind these main components:

• Function declaration
• Function definition
• Function body
• Parameters and Arguments

One important concept related to functions that are asked in many coding interviews and tests is Recursion. It is the process when a function repetitively calls itself until a terminating condition is met. 

Step 7: Get Familiar With Data Structures

This is the point where you need to spend a little more time to understand the C programming concepts. Data structures in C language help us to know how data is stored and manipulated in the memory. 

C offers us with two types of data structures: 

• Linear data structure – like arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, etc
• Non-linear data structure – like binary trees, graphs, etc 

Understanding when and how to use these is extremely important, especially if you doing projects or building software using C. So, I would suggest you thoroughly understand this topic and solve problems related to data structures consistently.

Step 8: Understand Dynamic Memory Allocation in C

Our software development process also includes time and memory constraints. Therefore, as C programmers, it is also necessary for us to write code that is efficient in memory utilization.

For this purpose, we can use dynamic memory allocation in C that allows us to provide or allocate memory to variables and objects during the run time and also free that memory when the program terminates.

We can use the following functions in the standard library provided by C: 

• malloc() – it creates a  single memory block of fixed size. 
• calloc() – it creates and assigns multiple blocks for a specific variable. 
• free() – this function is used when we need to de-allocate or free the memory assigned to a variable when the execution ends. 

Additionally, you can also study about the realloc() function and see how we can make use of all these functions to enhance the performance of our C programs.

Step 9: Lean I/O Or File Handling Operations

File management and handling is also a vital concept in C as we are constantly performing the input and output tasks by getting user input and processing it.

Therefore, we should also know how can we store the data or user input and process it correctly by reading or writing in the file systems.

File handling operations in C include three major tasks:

• Reading from a file
• Writing in a file
• Appending a file

In addition to this, you can also learn about how to move a file to a specific location or make copies of it. 

Step 10: Start Solving Smaller Problems

We get it! You are passionate about building glamorous programs and solving huge problems. 

But, things take time!

So, start by studying smaller problems and solving them. This will assist you in gaining a better grasp of the language.

It will also make “how to begin learning C programming” a lot easier for you.

If you feel stuck somewhere, remember that you have a lot of resources at your hand. 

Refer to tutorials and community websites and get help with your doubts and queries.

Reddit and Stackoverflow will always be there to answer and clarify your doubts.

Don’t freak out if you encounter an error in your program!

Learn to google!

Searching for and identifying the mistake in your code will help you fix it in a matter of minutes.

Step 11: Build Projects

The best method to assess and learn what you’ve learned is to create a personal project. 

Building a project of your choice would provide you with an extensive practical language learning experience, as you would encounter the application of concepts taught previously, as well as learn how to deploy the project for usage by you and others.

Try to start with a tiny project like a simple game. It is preferable, to begin with basic projects before going on to more complex ones.

You can also add the projects you build to your portfolio to show your skills to others.

Some of the projects you can work on using the C programming language are:

• Snake Game
• Bank Management System
• Library Management System
• Periodic Table
• Quiz Game
• Ticket Booking
• Stock Management System
• Phonebook Application System
• Hotel Management System
• School record system
• Flappy Bird Game
• Tetris Game

So, by now, I hope you have gotten a direction on how to start learning C in easy steps. We have gone through each and every topic that you need to focus on to fully understand the language. 

Now, let me tell you about some amazing online coding platforms where you can practice your coding skills. Ready? Read below to know!