Language Characteristics Characteristics of C
Language Characteristics
Characteristics of C
Some of the important characteristics of C are as follows:
- Structured programming facilities
- Confirming to the ALGOL traditions
- Short circuit evaluation – usage of only one operand if the result can be determined with it alone
- Static typing system for avoiding unintended operations
- Value passed parameters with relevance to pointer value passing
- Heterogeneous data combination & manipulation
- Reserved keywords and free-format source text
- Larger number of compound operators, such as +=, ++
- Huge variable hiding capacity, though function definitions being non-nestable
- Character – integer usage similar to assembly language
- Low-level access to computer memory via machine addresses and typed pointers
- Function pointers allow rudimentary forms of closures & polymorphic runtime
- Pointer arithmetic defined Array indexing (secondary notion)
- Standardized processor for defining macros, including source code files & conditional compilations
- Complex Input/Output and mathematical functions with consistent delegation to library routines
- Syntax same as “B” (C’s predecessor) but different from ALGOL e.g.: { ... } replaced begin ... end, && and || replaced and & or, which
- While B used & and | in both meanings, C made them syntactically distinct from the bit-wise operators
- Similarities to Fortran e.g: the equal- sign for assignment (copying) & two consecutive equal-signs to test for equality (compare to EQ) or the equal-sign in BASIC)

