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Constants in C Programming
Table of contents
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Introduction
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Turbo C++ IDE
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A Basic C Program
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Fundamentals
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Input/Output Functions
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Control Statements
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Arrays
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Strings
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Functions
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Storage Classes
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Structure
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Union
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Pointers
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Dynamic memory allocation
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File
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Graphics
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The C Preprocessor
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Standard Library Functions
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ASCII Table
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Examples
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Questions and Answers
Constants
In C programming, constants are values that remain unchanged during the execution of a program. They are used to represent fixed values such as numbers, characters, or strings. Constants are categorized into different types based on the data they represent. There are four basic types of constants in C. They are:
Integer and floating-point constants represent numbers. They are often referred to as numeric-type constants. The following rule applies to all numeric type constants:
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Comma and blank spaces cannot be included within the constants.
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Constants can be preceded by a - or + sign, if desired. If either sign does not precede the constant it is assumed to be positive.
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The value of a constant cannot exceed specified minimum and maximum bounds. For each type of constant, these bound vary from one C compiler to another.
Other constants are
Enumeration Constants:
Enumeration constants are user-defined constants. They are created using the `enum` keyword and are represented by symbolic names. For example:
enum Color {RED, GREEN, BLUE};
In this example, RED, GREEN, and BLUE are enumeration constants.
Macro Constants:
Macro constants are defined using the `#define` preprocessor directive. They are replaced by their respective values during the preprocessing stage of compilation. For example:
#define PI 3.14159
In this case, PI is a macro constant with the value 3.14159.
Constant Variables:
Constant variables are declared using the `const` keyword. They hold values that cannot be modified during the execution of the program. For example:
const int MAX_SIZE = 100;
In this example, MAX_SIZE is a constant variable with the value 100.
Usage of Constants:
Constants are used in programming to make code more readable, maintainable, and to avoid magic numbers (hard-coded values). They provide a way to assign meaningful names to values, making it easier to understand the purpose of the code.
In summary, constants play a vital role in C programming by representing fixed values of different data types, thereby enhancing code clarity, readability, and maintainability.