We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Course image
Panagiotis Gnafakis

Become a C-programmer and learn one of the most marketable programming languages in 2023.

This course demonstrates the basic concepts of the C programming language and their use in detail.

In contrast with most other C programming courses, here, we are not only focusing on the syntax of different statements but we are going in-depth, behind the scenes and explore how different statements operate.

In this course you will learn:

Read more

Become a C-programmer and learn one of the most marketable programming languages in 2023.

This course demonstrates the basic concepts of the C programming language and their use in detail.

In contrast with most other C programming courses, here, we are not only focusing on the syntax of different statements but we are going in-depth, behind the scenes and explore how different statements operate.

In this course you will learn:

  • Writing programmes in C

  • Variables and standard data types

  • Reading/writing inputs & outputs

  • Binary,  decimal & hexadecimal numbers

  • How computer memory works

  • Variable limits & overflow

  • Pre-processor

  • Compiler

  • Linker

  • Arithmetic & bitwise operators

  • If statements

  • For loops

  • While loops

  • Case & Switch statements

  • What is high-quality code

  • Arrays

  • Structures

  • Functions

  • Return Statements & Arguments

  • Pointers

  • Pointers with structures

  • Pointers with arrays

  • File I/O

  • Libraries, .h and .c files

  • Dynamic Memory Allocation

  • Linked Lists

This type of in-depth analysis will provide you with a rigid foundation upon which you can build a solid understanding of the C programming language. This rigid foundation, in turn, will ensure that you deeply understand how the programming language operates in the background you will be less likely to make mistakes when programming yourself.

A lot of additional support material is provided as part of the course, including all of the code that you see written on the screen and the slides presented.

Throughout the course, extensive use of slides and graphics is being utilised in order to aid the understanding and memorability of complex programming concepts. All lessons come complete with coding exercises to help you practice the new concepts that are being discussed during the course and ensure that you have a thorough and practical understanding.

With this course, you get access to our exclusive course forum where you can directly ask the instructor any questions you like and collaborate with other students.

Enroll now

What's inside

Learning objectives

  • Writing programmes in c
  • Variables and standard data types
  • Reading/writing inputs & outputs
  • Binary, decimal & hexadecimal numbers
  • How computer memory works
  • Variable limits & overflow
  • Pre-processor, compiler & linker
  • Arithmetic & bitwise operators
  • If statements, case & switch statements
  • For loops/while loops
  • What is high-quality code
  • Arrays & structures
  • Return statements & arguments
  • Pointers & structures/arrays

Syllabus

Introduction
Lecturer Introduction
Course Philosophy
Udemy Ratings
Read more

Making a program which is hard to break

C flow control, execution sequence and information on how functions execute

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Begins with the basics, such as variables, data types, and operators, which are essential for anyone starting to learn C programming
Explores the pre-processor, compiler, and linker, which are crucial steps in the C compilation process and help beginners understand how code is transformed into an executable program
Covers control flow statements like 'if', 'for', 'while', and 'switch', which are fundamental for creating programs that can make decisions and repeat actions
Includes file I/O operations, allowing learners to create programs that can read from and write to files, which is a practical skill for many real-world applications
Discusses dynamic memory allocation, which is an advanced topic that allows programs to manage memory efficiently and is essential for building complex applications
Uses Code::Blocks IDE, which may not be the preferred IDE for all developers, as some may prefer other environments like Visual Studio or Eclipse

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Reviews summary

Solid c fundamentals with deep dive

According to learners, this course provides a positive and in-depth foundation in C programming, particularly excelling at explaining complex concepts like memory, compilers, and pointers. Many highlight the instructor's clear explanations and logical flow. While strong on theory and underlying mechanics, some students note the exercises could be more challenging or practical, suggesting the course builds a strong understanding of 'how' things work rather than immediate practical application. It's praised for its focus on core C principles, making it a good starting point for beginners.
Strong theory, less focus on large practical builds.
"The course is very strong on the theory of C and how things work internally, which is valuable."
"It teaches you the mechanics well, but I wasn't building complete, practical programs by the end."
"More geared towards understanding the language deeply rather than immediate application in projects."
"Prepares you to understand existing C code or dive into systems programming, maybe less for application development out-of-the-box."
Excellent coverage of core C concepts.
"This course gives you a truly solid foundation in C, covering all the essential topics for beginners."
"I learned about variables, data types, operators, loops, and functions very thoroughly."
"It systematically builds up your knowledge module by module."
"Provides a great starting point before moving on to more advanced C programming."
Instructor explains complex topics effectively.
"The instructor is very knowledgeable and explains even difficult topics in a way that's easy to digest."
"His explanations were patient and thorough, making learning C much less intimidating."
"I could follow along easily thanks to the clear lectures and helpful visuals."
"Great teaching style! Kept me engaged throughout the foundational topics."
Goes deep into C fundamentals and memory.
"I really appreciate how deep the course goes into the underlying concepts like memory management and how the compiler works."
"Unlike other courses, this one didn't just show syntax but explained the 'why' behind it, which is crucial for beginners."
"The sections on pointers and memory were particularly clear and helped me finally understand these tricky topics."
"I feel I have a solid grasp of the fundamentals and how C interacts with the computer's memory."
Practice problems are sometimes too basic.
"While the explanations were great, I felt the exercises didn't always challenge me enough to solidify the concepts fully."
"Some exercises were a bit too simple; I wished there were more complex problems."
"Could use more hands-on coding challenges that require applying multiple concepts learned."
"I had to seek external practice problems to feel confident after completing some sections."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in C-Programming for Beginners - Solid Foundations with these activities:
Review Binary and Hexadecimal Number Systems
Reinforce your understanding of binary and hexadecimal number systems, which are fundamental to understanding how computers store and process data in C.
Browse courses on Binary Numbers
Show steps
  • Review the basics of binary and hexadecimal systems.
  • Practice converting between decimal, binary, and hexadecimal.
  • Solve practice problems involving bitwise operations.
Read 'C Programming Absolute Beginner's Guide'
Gain a solid foundation in C programming with this beginner-friendly guide, which complements the course material and provides additional examples and exercises.
Show steps
  • Read the first few chapters covering basic syntax and data types.
  • Work through the examples and exercises provided in the book.
  • Compare the book's explanations with the course lectures.
Implement Data Structures in C
Practice implementing fundamental data structures like linked lists, stacks, and queues in C to solidify your understanding of pointers and dynamic memory allocation.
Show steps
  • Implement a singly linked list with insert, delete, and search functions.
  • Implement a stack using arrays or linked lists.
  • Implement a queue using arrays or linked lists.
  • Test your implementations thoroughly with various inputs.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Create a C Programming Cheat Sheet
Compile a cheat sheet of essential C syntax, data types, and functions to serve as a quick reference guide during and after the course.
Show steps
  • Gather information on syntax, data types, and functions.
  • Organize the information into a concise and easy-to-read format.
  • Include examples of common C programming tasks.
  • Share your cheat sheet with other students for feedback.
Develop a Simple Command-Line Calculator in C
Apply your C programming skills to build a command-line calculator that performs basic arithmetic operations, reinforcing your understanding of input/output, operators, and control flow.
Show steps
  • Design the calculator's user interface and functionality.
  • Implement the input/output functions to read user input and display results.
  • Implement the arithmetic operations using C operators.
  • Implement error handling for invalid inputs.
  • Test the calculator thoroughly with various inputs.
Contribute to a C-Based Open Source Project
Contribute to an existing open-source project written in C to gain practical experience working with real-world codebases and collaborating with other developers.
Show steps
  • Find a C-based open-source project that interests you.
  • Read the project's documentation and contribution guidelines.
  • Identify a bug or feature to work on.
  • Submit a pull request with your changes.
  • Respond to feedback from other developers.
Read 'The C Programming Language'
Deepen your understanding of C with this classic text, which provides a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the language's features and principles.
Show steps
  • Read the chapters on pointers and memory management carefully.
  • Work through the examples and exercises provided in the book.
  • Compare the book's explanations with the course lectures.

Career center

Learners who complete C-Programming for Beginners - Solid Foundations will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Embedded Systems Engineer
Embedded systems engineers design and develop the software and firmware for devices like microcontrollers, sensors, and other hardware components. This role involves working with low level programming languages like C, in order to interface directly with hardware. A solid understanding of computer memory, binary, and hexadecimal numbers as taught in the course, is especially important for embedded systems engineering. This course also introduces preprocessors, compilers and linkers, which are vital for developing and deploying software in this field. The course's depth into pointers is also useful as embedded systems work directly with memory locations.
Firmware Engineer
Firmware engineers develop the low-level software that controls the hardware on various devices. Programming languages like C are often used to write code that interacts directly with hardware. This course provides a strong foundation in C programming, starting from the basics and progressing to complex elements like pointers, dynamic memory allocation, and file I/O. Firmware engineers need to deeply understand how computer memory works, and this course explicitly covers that topic. The course's emphasis on how different statements operate behind the scenes provides key insights for anyone interested in this field.
Systems Programmer
A systems programmer works on the core software that makes a computer function, such as operating systems components and device drivers. The C programming language is a mainstay of systems programming, making this course especially relevant. This course's in-depth analysis of how different statements operate behind the scenes along with knowledge of memory management, pointers, and file input/output, all covered in this course, are crucial in systems programming. The course's extensive coverage of low level details of the C language and computer architecture make it a good fit for someone entering this field.
Operating Systems Developer
Operating systems developers are responsible for creating the core software that manages computer hardware and resources. This role often involves working directly with low level programming languages such as C, making this course an excellent fit. This course delves deep into C programming concepts, including pointers, memory management, and file input/output, which are essential for operating system development. This course demonstrates how statements operate, and emphasizes the importance of high quality code, which are key factors for writing stable and reliable core software.
Compiler Developer
Compiler developers are responsible for creating the software that translates programming languages into machine code, making this course on C programming highly relevant. The course's explicit focus on how programs and compilers operate behind the scenes will prepare a compiler developer to efficiently handle the complexities of this field. A compiler developer will find value in this course's specific material on the preprocessor, compiler, and linker. A deep understanding of memory, data types, and pointers is also essential, and this course provides a strong foundation in all of these topics.
Game Developer
Game developers use programming languages like C to create the logic and mechanics that make up video games. This course is valuable because it covers core programming concepts, including variables, data types, control flow, and functions. A game developer needs a strong understanding of pointers, memory management, and data structures, all of which are introduced in this course, to optimize game performance. The focus on high quality code and in-depth understanding of the C language will allow a game developer to write efficient and maintainable game code. In addition, the course's coverage of arrays and structures is useful for managing game data.
Software Developer
A software developer designs, tests, and creates software applications. Software development utilizes programming languages, including C, to create efficient and functional code. This course teaches the fundamentals of C programming, including how to write programs, manage variables, read and write inputs and outputs, and work with control flow statements. The course's detailed coverage of pointers, data structures, and dynamic memory allocation is also valuable for any software developer. The course's emphasis on high-quality code will also help to ensure they write software which is both readable and maintainable.
Robotics Software Engineer
Robotics software engineers create the programs that control robots, often working with languages like C to interact with hardware. This role requires a firm grasp of programming fundamentals, including low level concepts like pointers and memory management, which are covered in this course. A robotics software engineer must be able to write code that interfaces directly with sensors and actuators, making the course's lessons on file input/output and working with data structures like arrays and structures extremely beneficial. The course's focus on how the C language operates under the hood provides a strong foundation for those entering this field.
Database Developer
A database developer is responsible for creating and maintaining the software that stores and manages data. This role will often involve C or similar languages. While not a primary focus, the course provides useful foundational concepts that a database developer would need. This includes a deep understanding of memory management, data structures, and file I/O. The coverage of pointers is also crucial for anyone who seeks to work with data at such a low level. Although C is not always the primary language for database development, the underlying principles that this course teaches are beneficial.
Algorithm Developer
Algorithm developers create and optimize the procedures that solve a particular problem or perform a computation. This course can be helpful to an algorithm developer given the extensive focus on problem solving with programming. The course's focus on data structures such as arrays and linked lists are particularly relevant. The course also helps the learner understand the performance implications of certain operations, important when writing efficient algorithms. The low level nature of the course and focus on control flow also helps a learner think like an algorithm developer.
Software Quality Assurance Engineer
Software quality assurance engineers are responsible for testing and evaluating software to ensure it meets quality standards. While they do not typically write the core application code, knowledge of programming concepts such as those taught by this course is useful. This course covers how to write high quality code, which is good for software quality assurance engineer to know, as they will be evaluating the quality of code written by others. Understanding of core concepts of programming such as variables, data types, loops, and memory management, which this course teaches, are also useful.
Technical Writer
A technical writer creates documentation for software and other technical products. While this course does not teach technical writing per se, the technical knowledge gained by this course is useful for a technical writer. This course covers a wide array of programming concepts, and a technical writer with this background would be better prepared to write documentation for software developers. This course provides the technical knowledge one would need to discuss subjects such as memory allocation, data structures, and various programming techniques. This course may be helpful for a technical writer.
Data Scientist
Data scientists analyze large datasets to extract meaningful insights. While this role commonly utilizes higher-level languages such as Python, this foundational programming course may be useful for some data scientists. The course covers fundamental programming concepts such as control flow, data structures, and algorithmic thinking, all of which are useful for anyone working with code. The detailed focus on the C language provides a strong foundation for those looking to understand how code interacts with the underlying hardware. This course may be helpful for a data scientist.
IT Support Specialist
IT support specialists provide technical assistance to computer users. A course in C programming may be helpful if the IT support specialist needs to understand the details of software and how it interacts with the computer and operating system. This course's coverage of low level details, binary numbers, and computer memory may be relevant when helping users with technical issues. While not directly related, the problem solving skills that this course develops may be valuable. This course may be helpful to an IT support specialist.
Web Developer
A web developer builds websites and web applications. While the primary technologies for web development are usually Javascript, HTML, or CSS, this course may be useful to some web developers. This course's core programming concepts such as control flow and data structures are relevant when developing the logic for dynamic web applications. Even if a web developer does not use C directly, the knowledge of programming fundamentals demonstrated in this course may be useful. This course may be helpful for a web developer.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in C-Programming for Beginners - Solid Foundations.
This book, often referred to as 'K&R', is the definitive guide to the C programming language, written by its creators. It provides a concise and comprehensive overview of C, covering all aspects of the language from basic syntax to advanced topics like pointers and memory management. While it can be challenging for beginners, it is an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to deeply understand C. is commonly used as a textbook at academic institutions and by industry professionals.
Is designed for individuals with no prior programming experience. It provides a step-by-step introduction to the C programming language, covering fundamental concepts such as variables, data types, operators, and control structures. It is particularly useful for beginners who want a gentle introduction to C before diving into more advanced topics. This book can be used as a reference or for additional reading.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser