C Programming For Beginners - Master The C Language - Udemy

C Programming For Beginners - Master the C LanguageBestsellerRating: 4.4 out of 54.4(40,261 ratings)185,086 studentsDevelopmentProgramming LanguagesC (programming language)Preview this courseC Programming For Beginners - Master the C LanguageC Programming will increase career options. Become a better dev in other languages by learning C. Pointers explainedBestsellerCreated byTim Buchalka's Learn Programming Academy, Jason FedinLast updated 4/2025EnglishArabic [Auto],Bulgarian [Auto], 18 morePreview this course

What you'll learn

• Understand the fundamentals of the C Programming Language
• Make yourself more marketable for entry level programming positions
• Create your first C Application
• Learn one of the most popular, widly used languages in the world
• Understand variables and the different data types
• Apply for real-time programming positions
• Understand the core language that most modern languages are based on
• Learn how to write high-quality code

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Course content

20 sections • 150 lectures • 25h 37m total lengthExpand all sections

C Programming Language Fundamentals and Initial Setup6 lectures • 1hr 18min

• Introduction to C Programming: Core Concepts and BenefitsPreview12:12

  Explore how the C programming language delivers efficiency and portability as an imperative language organized around functions, and learn concepts from variables and data types to pointers and memory management.

• Comprehensive Course Structure: Learning Methods and Approach5:52

  Explore a comprehensive approach to learning C, blending concepts and why they matter with hands-on coding, PowerPoint slides, IDE demonstrations, challenges, and code walkthroughs.

• Fundamentals of a ProgramPreview17:53

  Learn the core concepts behind programming, from what a program does and the CPU's fetch execution cycle to memory, RAM, and compilation, then follow a plan-design-implement-compile-test-maintain approach for C.

• C Programming Language: History, Advantages, and Key Uses13:40

  Explore the history, advantages, and key uses of the C programming language, a general-purpose, imperative, and portable language widely used in operating systems, embedded systems, and Linux.

• Essential C Language Features: Efficiency, Portability, PowerPreview12:08

  Discover the essential C language features, efficiency, portability, power, and flexibility, and how memory management, pointers, and libraries drive programmer oriented development.

• Step-by-Step C Program Creation: Editing, Compiling, Linking16:27

  Learn to edit, compile, link, and execute C programs, using an IDE such as Code Blocks, generating object files, creating executables, and managing libraries.

• Introductory Quiz on C Programming Fundamentals

Installing the Necessary Development Tools and Software15 lectures • 2hr 10min

• Navigating the Installation Process: A Platform-Specific Overview4:50

  Explore platform-specific installation of the C compiler and IDE. Follow OS-specific steps: install Cygwin and CodeLite on Windows, install Xcode developer tools on Mac, and verify GCC on Linux.

• Windows C Compiler Setup: Installing and Configuring Cygwin (GCC, GDB, Make)8:38

  Install and configure the GNU C compiler on Windows using Cygwin, including gcc, gdb, and make, set the path, and verify the toolchain works.

• Step-by-Step Guide to Downloading and Installing CodeLite3:51

  Install CodeLite on Windows after confirming the C compiler is installed, download the Windows 64 installer from CodeLite and complete the setup with default options.

• Windows Development Environment: Linking CodeLite with the Cygwin C Compiler18:30

  Configure CodeLite to use the Cygwin GCC compiler, set up a workspace and a console project, adjust build and linker options, then compile and run a simple C program.

• Mac Compiler Installation: Xcode Command Line Tools for C Development (GCC)4:16

  Check and install your macOS C compiler by installing Xcode or developer tools, verify GCC at /usr/bin/gcc with gcc --version, and compile a Hello World test in the terminal.

• Installing and Setting up CodeLite IDE for Cross-Platform C Development on macOS4:43

  Install the CodeLite cross-platform integrated development environment for macOS Catalina by downloading CodeLite 14.0, decompressing tar.gz, and dragging it to applications; then adjust security to open anyway.

• MacOS CodeLite Configuration: Integrating the IDE with the C Development19:01

  Configure CodeLite on macOS Catalina to integrate C development workflow: install the compiler, run the setup wizard, and build and run a first C project with GCC and LLDB.

• Ubuntu Linux: Installing the Integrated Development Environment for C (CodeLite)6:43

  Install the gcc c++ compiler and essential build tools on Ubuntu 22.04 jammy, then install and configure CodeLite to work with the compiler.

• Configuring CodeLite and Integrating The Build Essential package on Ubuntu Linux10:46

  Configure CodeLite to use gcc on Ubuntu, create a new C project, and enable C99, static linking, and GDB; then build and run to verify the output.

• Creating Reusable C Project Templates for Streamlined Development in CodeLite7:16

  Create a reusable CodeLite project template to streamline C development by saving a workspace, configuring C99 and static linking, and inheriting settings for multiple projects.

• Mastering the Terminal: An Introduction to the Command Line Interface for C2:18

  Master the command line interface to compile and run C programs from a terminal using a simple text editor, without an IDE, across Windows, Unix, Linux, and Mac OS.

• Compiling and Running C Programs via the Cygwin Terminal on Windows: CLI Guide10:37

  Learn to compile and run a C program via the Cygwin terminal on Windows; create source in a text editor, compile with gcc, and execute the resulting executable.

• MacOS Terminal Mastery: Compiling, and Running C Programs from the Command Line10:08

  Master compiling and running C programs on the mac operating system using the terminal, gcc, and a simple TextEdit workflow with cd, mkdir, and ls.

• Linux Command Line Essentials: Compiling and Running C Programs on Ubuntu10:10

  Learn to compile and run C programs on Ubuntu from the command line: create a project folder, edit hello world.c with a text editor, then use gcc and run executable.

• Web-Based C Programming: Compiling and Executing Code in Online C Compilers7:46

  Learn to write, compile, and run C programs in a browser using online editors like online gdb beta and Tutorials Point online C compiler.

Fundamentals of C: Writing Your First Code and Understanding Basic Syntax11 lectures • 1hr 12min

• CodeLite IDE Mastery: Navigating and Customizing the Development Environment12:04

  Navigate the CodeLite IDE interface, including workspace and project management, editor and output panes, and customize line numbers, folding, syntax highlighting, and themes for efficient C programming.

• From Code to Execution: Creating, Modifying, and Saving Your First C ProgramPreview7:22

  Create your first c program by writing a main function, including stdio.h, declaring an int for your favorite number, and using scanf and printf to input and display.

• The Build Process: Compiling, Linking, and Running Your First C Program13:35

  Learn to build and run a C program by compiling, linking, and creating the executable, while managing clean, build, and run workflows in a project workspace.

• Understanding and Resolving Compiler Errors: Syntax and Semantic Error Analysis8:51

  Learn how compiler errors reveal syntax and semantic issues in C, identify common causes like missing semicolons or quotes, and follow the top error messages to fix and compile successfully.

• Compiler Warnings: Identifying and Addressing Potential Issues in C Code4:28

  Do not ignore compiler warnings; they flag potential problems in syntactically correct code. Initialize all variables, remove unused ones, and enable warnings with the -Wall flag.

• Linker Errors Demystified: Understanding and Troubleshooting Undefined Reference4:27

  Learn how linker errors occur when the linker cannot resolve symbols, yielding undefined reference during executable linking. The video demonstrates checking object files, libraries, and paths with a CodeLite example.

• Runtime Errors: Dealing with Exceptional Events and Handling Program Crashes0:32

  Explore runtime errors that occur during program execution, including divide by zero, file not found, and out of memory, and understand how some errors crash programs.

• Identifying and Correcting Logic Errors: Debugging Strategies for C Programs1:44

  Identify how logic errors arise in C programs, learn debugging and testing strategies, and correct common if-statement conditions, illustrated by a voting-age example.

• (Challenge) Display Your Name: Applying C Fundamentals in a Practical Exercise5:11

  Tackle your challenge by writing a C program that displays your name with printf, then create a code lite project, edit test.c, and compile, link, and run to verify output.

• (Demonstration) Program Output Solution Displaying Name: Detailed Walkthrough4:55

  Learn to write and run your first C program that prints your name using printf. Create a test project in CodeLite, then compile, link, and execute to see the output.

• Deep Dive into C Program Structure: Main Function, Blocks, and Key Elements8:30

  Explore the basic structure of a C program, with the main function as the entry point, a block of code, and statements ending in semicolons. Learn case sensitivity and readability.

• Section Quiz on Compiling, Running, and Debugging Basic C Programs

C Programming Fundamentals: Input, Output, Preprocessing, and Comments5 lectures • 50min

• Improving Code Readability: Utilizing Single-Line and Multi-Line Comments in C12:30

  Learn how to use single-line and multi-line comments in C to document code, improve readability, and aid debugging, with best practices for top of file headers and meaningful names.

• Preprocessing in C: Understanding Directives and Their Impact on Compilation5:00

  Explore the C preprocessor, its include directive and other preprocessor directives that run before compilation, enabling constants, macros via define, and libraries, including the standard library, for portable code.

• Header Files and Libraries: Implementing the #include Directive for Code Reuse12:11

  Use the include directive to bring header files, such as stdio.h for printf, into your program; header files define prototypes and enable code reuse via system or user headers.

• Formatted Output: Mastering the printf Function for Displaying Data in C4:12

  Master printf to display text and variable values to the screen using the C standard library, directing output to the command line via the standard output for debugging.

• User Input in C: Reading Data from the Terminal with the scanf Function16:23

  Learn to read keyboard input in C with scanf, which returns number of items read, converting text to numbers and strings via format specifiers, using stdin, ampersand addressing, and whitespace.

• Quiz on Header Files, Comments, Basic Input and Output, and Preprocessing

Variables and Data Types in C: Declaration, Initialization, and Usage9 lectures • 1hr 55min

• Introduction to Variables and Data Types in C: Memory, Storage, and Usage16:53

  Discover how memory and ram relate to variables in c, differentiate constants from variables, and use data types like int, float, and double. Declare, initialize, and name variables with identifiers.

• Fundamental Data Types in C: int, float, double, and _Bool Explained19:06

  Learn the basic c data types—int, float, double, and _Bool—and how memory and architecture affect their ranges. Explore signed, unsigned, short, long variants and hexadecimal literals.

• Enumerated Data Types (enum) and Character Representation (char) in CPreview19:23

  Explore how to define and use enum types in C to constrain variables to specific values, with examples like primary color and month, plus the char type and escape sequences.

• (Challenge) Enumerated Types: Defining and Utilizing Custom Data Types3:34

  Define an enum type named company with values GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, XEROX, YAHOO, EBAY, MICROSOFT, declare three variables, and print their integer values with printf to illustrate enum ordering.

• (Demonstration) Implementing Custom Data Types with Enums: A Practical Example8:52

  Demonstrates defining a company enum in C, assigning values such as Google, Facebook, Xerox, Yahoo, eBay, and Microsoft, and printing them with printf as integers.

• Precision Output: Mastering Format Specifiers with printf for Variable Display16:07

  Master format specifiers with printf to display integers, floats, doubles, characters, and booleans, using percent symbols to map variables to output, including width and precision controls.

• (Challenge) Rectangle Calculations Area and Perimeter with Variable Manipulation7:11

  Declare four double variables for width, height, perimeter, and area, initialize width and height, compute perimeter as 2*(height+width) and area as width*height, and print results with printf and %f.

• (Demonstration) Calculating and Displaying Rectangle Dimensions: A C Program12:13

  Learn to build a simple C console program that calculates a rectangle's area and perimeter using doubles, variables, and printf with format specifiers and escape sequences.

• Understanding Command Line Arguments (argc, argv)11:16

  Learn how to pass data to a C program using command line arguments, including argc, argv, and the program name. See how to access and print them in main.

• Quiz Assessing Understanding of Variables, Data Types, Enums, and Basic I/O

C Operators: Performing Calculations, Comparisons, and Manipulations9 lectures • 1hr 40min

• Introduction to Operators in C: Fundamentals and Categories8:38

  Discover the fundamentals of operators in C, including infix, prefix, and postfix forms, and how arithmetic, logical, relational, assignment, and bitwise operators operate on operands within expressions and statements.

• Arithmetic, Logical, Assignment, and Relational Operators in C19:55

  Explore arithmetic, logical, assignment, and relational operators in C, with infix syntax and examples of plus, minus, multiply, divide, modulus, and prefix/postfix increment and decrement.

• (Challenge) Time Conversion: Calculating Years and Days from Minutes3:51

  Take on a hands-on challenge to convert minutes into years and days using C arithmetic operators and scanf, calculating minutes per year (60*24*365) with doubles.

• (Demonstration) Step-by-Step Solution: Converting Minutes to Years and Days in C11:11

  Convert minutes to years and days in c by building a console app that uses arithmetic operators, scanf input, and a cast to illustrate data type tradeoffs.

• Bitwise Operators in C: Manipulating Data at the Bit Level24:49

  Master bitwise operators in C by learning and, or, xor, not, and shift operations, then see binary concepts and practical examples with 60 and 13.

• Special Operators in C: Exploring the Cast and sizeof Operators12:43

  Explore the cast and sizeof operators in C, learn implicit versus explicit type conversions, how truncation and promotion occur, and how sizeof helps avoid hard-coded memory sizes.

• (Challenge) Data Type Sizes: Using the sizeof Operator for Portability3:04

  Demonstrate the sizeof operator in a portable C program that prints the byte sizes of int, char, long, long long, double, and long double with printf and %zd.

• (Demonstration) Determining Data Type Sizes: Implementing the sizeof Operator5:38

  Learn to use the sizeof operator to determine memory sizes for char, short, int, long, long long, float, double, and long double, using printf statements and format specifiers across platforms.

• Order of Operations: Understanding Operator Precedence and Associativity in C9:57

  Understand operator precedence and associativity in C, and use parentheses to control evaluation; multiplication outranks addition, clarifying expressions like 7 + 3 * 2.

• Quiz covering all information about operators, including bitwise and casting

Mastering Program Flow Control with C Language Constructs10 lectures • 2hr 18min

• Getting Started with Program Control Flow in C: An Overview8:39

  Explore how control flow in C enables decision making with if, if else, and switch, and how loops—while, for, and do while—drive repeated execution.

• Implementing Conditional Logic: Detailed Guide to If Statements in C21:31

  Explore how if statements drive decision making in C, using boolean expressions, optional curly braces, and else and else if branches, including the ternary operator for concise assignments.

• Calculating Weekly Pay with Overtime and Tiered Tax in C4:59

  Create a C program to calculate weekly pay with overtime and tiered taxes; input hours, compute gross pay at time and a half, and output gross, taxes, and net pay.

• Step-by-Step Solution: Calculating Weekly Pay in C (Overtime and Taxes)18:17

  Learn to compute weekly pay in C using #define constants, handle overtime beyond 40 hours, apply tiered taxes, and display gross, taxes, and net pay.

• Multi-way Branching: How to Use and Implement the Switch Statement in C15:44

  Master the switch statement in C by comparing a value against constant cases, using break to prevent fall-through, and handling defaults, with practical examples and notes on go to.

• Repetitive Code Execution: In-depth Guide to Using For Loops in C Language17:48

  Discover how for loops control repetitive code in the C language, using counter and sentinel patterns, with initialization, a continuation condition, and per-iteration updates to the loop control variable.

• Mastering While and Do-While Loops for Effective C Code Iteration13:04

  Master the while and do-while loops in C, compare to for loops, and learn pretest versus post-test execution, sentinel and counter control, and when to use each for effective iteration.

• Effective Loop Management: Nested Loops and Control with Break/ContinuePreview11:02

  Learn how to implement nested loops in c, using for and while loops to count values and perform iterations. Master break and continue to control loop flow and reduce nesting.

• Creating an Interactive 'Guess the Number' Game Using C.7:23

  Design and implement a guess the number game in c, generating a random 0–20 number, validating input, and using if statements and while loops within five tries, seeded with time.

• Building a 'Guess the Number' Game: A Complete C Programming Walkthrough19:16

  Learn to build a complete 'guess the number' game in C, using srand and rand for a 0–20 target, with input validation, loops, and if statements.

• Quiz 6

Comprehensive Guide to Using Arrays in C Programming8 lectures • 1hr 25min

• Declaring, Initializing, and Accessing Elements: Arrays in C18:36

  Learn to declare, initialize, and access array elements in C with a fixed size and same data type, using 0-based indexing and for loops, watch out for out-of-bounds errors.

• Initializing Arrays in C: Syntax, Partial, and Designated Values10:10

  Learn how to initialize arrays in C with specific values at declaration, partial initializations, and designated initializers, plus how to fill remaining elements with zeros or via loops.

• Comprehensive Guide to Generating Prime Numbers with C Arrays6:21

  Learn to use a C array to generate prime numbers from 3 to 100, store each prime, and print them on a single line.

• Solution Walkthrough: Implementing Prime Number Generation in C12:33

  learn to generate prime numbers in C by using an array of previously generated primes, testing divisibility up to the square root, and updating the primes list with found values.

• Understanding Multidimensional Arrays: Initialization & Uses in C12:44

  Discover how multi-dimensional arrays in C enable rows and columns storage, with two-dimensional matrices, initialization options including designated initializers, and row–column access patterns.

• Building a Weather Program: Rainfall Analysis with Two-Dimensional Arrays5:42

  Explore building a weather program using a 5x12 two-dimensional float array to compute yearly totals, yearly averages, and monthly averages from hard-coded rainfall data.

• Mastering the Weather Program: A C Programming Code Demonstration14:34

  Explore building a C program for weather data that uses a 5 by 12 two-dimensional array to store rainfall and computes yearly totals, yearly averages, and monthly averages.

• Exploring Variable Length Arrays (VLAs) in C: A C99 Featur4:24

  Explore variable length arrays in C99, where array sizes use variables or expressions but stay fixed after creation. Learn size rules and why VLAs aid numerical computing and Fortran compatibility.

• Quiz on Arrays in C

Demystifying Function Parameters, Returns, and Scope in C9 lectures • 2hr

• C Functions: Introduction, Advantages, and Syntax Essentials13:42

  Explore how functions in C encapsulate tasks, enable input and output, reduce code duplication, and improve maintainability through divide-and-conquer design, cohesive, reusable units.

• Mastering Function Definitions and Prototypes in C14:58

  Define functions in C with a function header and a function body, specifying return type, name, and parameters. Use function prototypes to declare before use, keeping functions small and meaningful.

• Arguments and Parameters10:40

  Compare arguments and parameters, and learn how function declarations, prototypes, and definitions use parameter lists to pass data, including arrays with size, with comments for clarity.

• Mastering Data Return from C Functions: Types and the Return Statement13:17

  Learn how to return data from C functions by specifying a return type and using the return statement, with examples using int, float, double, and pointers.

• Understanding Variable Scope in C: Local vs. Global Variables10:11

  Explore function and program scope by distinguishing local and global variables, learn automatic versus static local storage, masking rules, and why avoiding global data improves code design.

• C Functions Challenge: Greatest Common Divisor, Absolute Value, Square Root4:49

  Create three C functions: gdc for two non-negative integers, an absolute value function (float-based), and a custom square root using the absolute value helper, with prototypes and main tests.

• C Programming Challenge Solution Walkthrough: Building Function21:08

  Explore building and testing C functions, including gcd, absolute value, and square root, with function declarations and definitions, prototypes, and practical printf demonstrations.

• C Tic-Tac-Toe Game Development: Project Design and Implementation Challenge6:45

  Master modular C programming by building a two-player tic-tac-toe game using a 3x3 grid represented by a single-dimensional array, with functions to draw, mark, and check winners.

• Tic-Tac-Toe Game in C: Complete Solution Walkthrough and Code Review24:06

  Learn a complete tic-tac-toe solution in c using a single dimensional array, modular functions, and divide-and-conquer design for win checks, display, and marking.

• C Functions Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Fundamentals, Scope, and More

C Strings: In-Depth Guide to Character Arrays and String Functions10 lectures • 1hr 57min

• Introduction to Character Strings in C: Literals, Null Terminators8:39

  Learn how character strings use double quotes for strings, distinguish them from single-quoted characters, and grasp escape sequences and the null terminator that marks string end.

• Declaring and Initializing Strings in C: Character Arrays Explained14:38

  Learn how to declare, initialize, and manipulate strings in C using character arrays, including null termination, safe initialization with literals, and input/output with printf and scanf.

• Using const with Strings: Creating Immutable String Literals in C7:41

  Explore how to create immutable string literals and symbolic constants in C by using define, const, and enum, avoiding magic numbers and improving readability and portability.

• C Character Array Challenge: String Length, Concatenation, Comparison3:32

  Develop and test three character array utilities in C: a custom string length function (no library calls), a manual concatenate function, and a string equality check using the null terminator.

• Hands-On C String Manipulation: Implementing String Functions15:27

  Learn to implement essential C string utilities by building length, concatenation, and equality functions for constant character arrays, handling null terminators and test outputs.

• String Manipulation in C: Searching, Finding, and Common Functions20:30

  Explore C string manipulation with the standard library: measure length, copy, concatenate, and compare using str length, str copy, strn copy, str cat, str compare, and string.h.

• C String Function Challenge: String Reversal and Array Sorting2:11

  Learn to reverse a string and sort string arrays using C string functions such as str length, str compare, and str copy. Read input from keyboard and apply bubble sort to order the strings.

• String Function Challenge Solution Walkthrough16:46

  Learn to reverse a string using strlen and print it in reverse order, then sort strings with strcmp and strcpy via a bubble sort, while considering safer strn copy usage.

• Advanced String Operations in C: Searching, Tokenizing, and Analyzing20:07

  Master advanced string operations in C, including searching with strchr and strstr, tokenizing with strtok, and analyzing strings with islower, isupper, isalpha, isdigit, and ispunct.

• Mastering String Conversions in C: Uppercase, Lowercase, and Numeric7:04

  learn to convert strings in C by iterating a character buffer and using toupper or tolower, and convert strings to numbers with atoi, atof, and strtod, including search via strstr.

• C Strings Quiz: Test Your Knowledge on Arrays, Functions and Manipulation

10 more sections

Requirements

• A computer running Microsoft Windows, Linux or the Mac operating systems
• At least 4GB of ram is recommended
• No programming experience, all concepts taught in this class!

Description

Have you never programmed a computer before, and think or have been told that C is a good programming language to get started with.  It is!

Maybe you have some experience with other programming languages, but want to learn C.  It's a great language to add to your resume!

Or perhaps you are stuck in a low paying programming job, and want to move up to a better, more senior position.  Learning C can help you!

The fact is, learning how to program in C is not only an excellent programming language to get started with, but it will also make you a better programming in other computer languages!

Why learn C ?

C is often considered to be the mother of all languages because so many other languages have been based on it.

Though C is simple it is one of the most powerful languages ever created.  Considering it was created over 40 years ago, it is still used heavily and is usually in the top 5 or 10 most popular and most widely programming languages in the world.

Learning C can actually make you a better programming in other languages like C++, Java, or C# by equipping you with a mental model of what the computer is actually doing when you run your programs.By learning how things really work "under the hood", and understand memory space, CPU architecture and so on, you can create more efficient programs, and obtain a huge advantage over other programmers in the process.

If you want to become a better developer, learning C is a great way to start!

Why enrolling in this course is the best decision you can make.

By the end of this course, you will understand the fundamentals of the C Programming Language, and make yourself more marketable for entry level programming positions.

You will understand variables and the different data types, be able to utilize functions and arrays, understand the  concept of pointers, learn about control flow (decision statements and iteration).

You will be in a position to apply for real-time programming positions, and truly understand the core language that most modern languages are based on!

If you have previously used the C programming language, then this course will deepen your understanding of it. If you have never used it, no problem, you will see that it can help you become a more efficient C developer.

The course will be constantly refined in the future based on student feedback!

This course does not skip on the details.  You will learn how to write high quality code and become an excellent problem solver.  This course does not just present how to code in the C programming language, but, also includes all the details on "why" you are doing the things you are doing.  At the end of this course, you will fully understand the concepts of the C Programming language.

Your instructor, Jason Fedin has been teaching students for over 12 years via online classes at over 10 different online Universities. He has created many different class curriculums, ranging from mobile programming to bash scripting to Object-Oriented Design and of course the C programming language.

Additionally, he has been developing software for over 16 years in the real world at various companies, specializing in Object-Oriented Development and Mobile Applications.

This means you are learning from someone who has all the professional training, skills, and experience you need to teach you how to become proficient in the C programming language.

If you are ready to get that first paid programming job, or to move up to a more senior programming position, then this course is for you!

Your new job or consulting opportunity awaits!  

Why not get started today?

Click the Signup button to sign up for the course!

Who this course is for:

• Anyone looking to learn how to program in the C language

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