Comprehensive C Language Tutorial

PS: this part of the tutorial is not aimed at absolute beginners. It grew out of the C notes we took back in our embedded-development days, and C was already firmly in hand by the time those notes were written. So if you actually need to learn C from scratch, head over to this repo instead:

GitHub: The C Language JourneyWebsite: C Journey

The C tutorials here are geared toward people who once learned C but have since forgotten what it looks like.

Fundamentals

01STARTFINISHProgram Structure and Compilation BasicsThe basic structure of a C program, the four-stage compilation pipeline, the header file mechanism, and basic I/O→02ASTARTFINISHData Type Basics: Integers and MemoryThe integer family, signed vs. unsigned, fixed-width types, and sizeof→02BSTARTFINISHFloating Point, Characters, const, and Type ConversionFloating-point precision, character encoding, the const qualifier, and implicit type conversion→03ASTARTFINISHOperator Basics: Making Data MoveArithmetic, relational, and logical operators, short-circuit evaluation, and assignment operators→03BSTARTFINISHBitwise Operations and Evaluation OrderBitwise operations, shifting caveats, precedence traps, and sequence points→04STARTFINISHControl Flow: Teaching Programs to Choose and RepeatConditional branches, loops, switch fall-through, and the state machine pattern→05STARTFINISHFunction Basics and Parameter PassingFunction declaration/definition/call, pass-by-value, pointer parameters, and recursion→06STARTFINISHScope and Storage ClassesScope rules, storage classes, linkage, and the three uses of static→07ASTARTFINISHPointer Basics: The World of AddressesThe memory model, address-of and dereference, pointer arithmetic, and distance computation→07BSTARTFINISHPointers, Arrays, const, and Null PointersArray-to-pointer decay, combining const with pointers, NULL, and wild pointers→08ASTARTFINISHMultilevel Pointers and Reading DeclarationsThe memory model of multilevel pointers, array of pointers vs. pointer to array, and reading declarations with cdecl→08BSTARTFINISHrestrict, Incomplete Types, and Structure Pointersrestrict optimization, forward declarations, and the opaque pointer pattern→09STARTFINISHFunction Pointers and the Callback PatternDeclaring and using function pointers, the callback pattern, and event-driven programming→10STARTFINISHA Deep Dive into ArraysMemory layout, multidimensional arrays, variable-length arrays, and their relationship with pointers→11STARTFINISHC Strings and Buffer SafetyThe \0-terminated model, core string.h functions, and preventing buffer overflows→12STARTFINISHStructures and Memory AlignmentStruct definitions, alignment and padding rules, and flexible array members→13STARTFINISHUnions, Enums, Bit Fields, and typedefType punning and hardware register mapping, compared with type-safe C++ alternatives→14STARTFINISHDynamic Memory Managementmalloc/calloc/realloc/free, common memory errors, and debugging→15STARTFINISHThe Preprocessor and Multi-File ProjectsMacros, conditional compilation, header guards, and modular multi-file projects→16STARTFINISHFile I/O and Standard Library OverviewFile reading and writing, formatted I/O, and command-line argument handling→

Advanced Topics

The advanced topics live in the advanced_feature/ subdirectory and cover more in-depth subjects:

01STARTFINISHARM Architecture and System FundamentalsThe ARM Cortex-M instruction set, registers, the exception vector table, and processor modes→02STARTFINISHCache Mechanisms and Memory HierarchyCache lines, mapping strategies, the MESI protocol, and cache-friendly programming→03STARTFINISHC Pitfalls and Common ErrorsSyntax and semantic traps, compiler behavior, and analysis against the standard→04STARTFINISHImplementing Object-Oriented Programming in CSimulating classes with structs plus function pointers, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism→05STARTFINISHBuilding a Dynamic Array from ScratchA type-safe dynamic array library, growing and shrinking memory, and API design→06STARTFINISHBuilding a Singly Linked ListInsertion, deletion, and search algorithms, plus sentinel node tricks→07STARTFINISHEmbedded C Programming PatternsRegister access, volatile, interrupt safety, and peripheral abstraction layers→08STARTFINISHDesigning Reusable C CodeModular design, opaque pointers, and platform abstraction layers→