CSE1301

Computer Programming
Lecture 6:
Components of a C Program
(Part 2)
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Topics

Type
Variables
Keywords and Identifiers
Assignments
Constant Variables

Type
The kind of a value is its type
Not all values are of the same kind
For example: cant logically evaluate 7 + cat

Value

Variable
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Type

Built-in types: char, int, float

Type modifiers: long, short, const
User-defined types (arrays and records)
What about strings?
Strings are arrays of char (discussed later)

Character Representation
Characters are stored as a small integer
Each character has a unique integer
equivalent specified by its position in the
ASCII table (pronounced ask-key)
American Standard Code for Information Interchange
see Appendix D of D&D

Character Representation
The ASCII values range from 0 to 127
value 0: special character \0
(a.k.a. NUL character)
value 127: special character <DEL>
other special characters:
\n \t \ \\ etc.
various extended sets from 128 to 255

Variable
Is a logical name for a container (an actual
piece of computer memory for values)
Have a type associated with them, which
tells the computer how to interpret the bits
Must be declared before use:
[modifiers] <type name> <variable name> ;
[modifiers] <type name> <variable name> = <init value> ;

Variable Declaration: Examples

int myID;

myID
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Variable Declaration: Examples

int myID;
char my_initial = J;

Single forward quotes or

apostrophe () rather than
back quotes ()
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Variable Declaration: Examples

int myID;
char my_initial = J;

01001010
my_initial

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Variable Declaration: Examples

int myID;
char my_initial = J;
char my_initial = 74 ;

01001010
my_initial

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Variable Declaration: Examples

float commission = 0.05;
short int myHeight = 165; /* cm */
long int mySalary = 100000000000000000000;
long float chanceOfADate = 3e-500;
double chance_of_a_2nd_date = 1.5e-500;
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Variable Declaration: Examples

float commission = 0.05;

Keywords

short int myHeight = 165; /* cm */

long int mySalary = 100000000000000000000;
long float chanceOfADate = 3e-500;
double chance_of_a_2nd_date = 1.5e-500;
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Keyword

...has a special meaning in C

...is case-sensitive
...cannot be used as variable names
Examples:
int, char, long, main, float,
double, const, while, for, if,
else, return, break, case,
switch, default, typedef,
struct, etc. (see D&D 2/e Appendix A or
D&D 3/e page 545, Figure 15.4)

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Variable Declaration: Examples

float commission = 0.05;

Identifiers

short int myHeight = 165; /* cm */

long int mySalary = 100000000000000000000;
long float chanceOfADate = 3e-500;
double chance_of_a_2nd_date = 1.5e-500;
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Identifier
...is a series of characters consisting of
letters, digits and underscores ( _)
...cannot begin with a digit
...must not be a keyword
...is case-sensitive
Examples:
sUmoFA, x1, y2, _my_ID_, Main (careful!)
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Assignment
Puts a specified value into a specified
variable
Assignment operator: =
<variable name> = <expression> ;
not to be
confused
with ==

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Assignment: Examples
float x = 2.5 ;
char
int

ch ;
number ;

ch = \n ;
number = 4 + 5 ;
/* current value of number is 9. */
number = number * 2;
/* current value of number is now 18. */

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Assignment
Value must have a type assignable to the
variable
Value may be automatically converted to fit
the new container
Example:
various.c

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#include <stdio.h>

integer = 33.33;
character = 33.33;
floatingPoint = 33.33;

/* Do various assignment
statements */
int main()
{
int
integer;
char
character;
float floatingPoint;
integer = 33;
character = 33;
floatingPoint = 33;
integer = 'A';
character = 'A';
floatingPoint = 'A';

integer = floatingPoint;
floatingPoint = integer;
return 0;
}

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various.c

Constant Variables
...are variables that dont vary
...may not be assigned to.
...must be initialized
const [modifiers] <type> <constant name> = <init value>;

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Constant Variables: Examples

const int myID = 192;
myID = 666;

/* Error! */

const int passMark = 80;

short char pAsSgRaDe = P;
const float e = 3.1415926;

/* oops */

const double golden_ratio = 1.61803398874989;

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Example: Constants
Converts an angle from
degrees to radians

#include <stdio.h>
/* Converts an angle in degrees to
radians. */
const float PI = 3.1415926;
int main()
{
float angleInDegrees;
float angleInRadians;

output Enter angle in degrees

input angleInDegrees

printf("Enter angle in degrees: ");

scanf("%f", &angleInDegrees);

angleInRadians = / 180 *
angleInDegrees

angleInRadians = PI / 180 *
angleInDegrees;

output angleInRadians

printf("%f\n", angleInRadians);
return 0;
}

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Example: Constants

Global
(constant) variable

#include <stdio.h>
/* Converts an angle in degrees to
radians. */
const float PI = 3.1415926;
int main()
{
float angleInDegrees;
float angleInRadians;

Local variables

printf("Enter angle in degrees: ");

scanf("%f", &angleInDegrees);
angleInRadians = PI / 180 *
angleInDegrees;
printf("%f\n", angleInRadians);
return 0;

more on this later...

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Readings
This Lecture:
D&D 2/e: Sections 2.1 to 2.10
D&D 3/e: Sections 2.1 to 2.5
Next Lecture: Booleans
D&D 2/e:
Sections 2.12 to 2.13, 3.2 and 4.13 to 4.15

D&D 3/e: Sections 2.6, 3.5, 4.10 and 4.11

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