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Function in C Programming

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Function in C Programming

Uploaded by

ramirez.bas
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© © All Rights Reserved
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LESSON 11.

FUNCTION IN C PROGRAMMING
A function is a group of statements that together perform a task. Every C
program has at least one function, which is main(), and all the most trivial
programs can define additional functions.

You can divide up your code into separate functions. How you divide up your
code among different functions is up to you, but logically the division is such
that each function performs a specific task.

A function declaration tells the compiler about a function's name, return type,
and parameters. A function definition provides the actual body of the function.

The C standard library provides numerous built-in functions that your program
can call. One example, strcat() to concatenate two strings, strlen () to count
the length of string, and many more functions.

A function can also be referred as a method or a sub-routine or a procedure.

Defining a Function

The general form of a function definition in C programming language is :

SYNTAX:

return_type function_name( parameter list ) {

body of the function

A function definition in C programming consists of a function header and a


function body. Here are all the parts of a function −

• Return Type − A function may return a value. The return_type is the data
type of the value the function returns. Some functions perform the desired
operations without returning a value. In this case, the return_type is the
keyword void.

• Function Name − This is the actual name of the function. The function
name and the parameter list together constitute the function signature.
• Parameters − A parameter is like a placeholder. When a function is
invoked, you pass a value to the parameter. This value is referred to as actual
parameter or argument. The parameter list refers to the type, order, and
number of the parameters of a function. Parameters are optional; that is, a
function may contain no parameters.

• Function Body − The function body contains a collection of statements


that define what the function does.

Example

Given below is the source code for a function called max(). This function takes
two parameters num1 and num2 and returns the maximum value between the
two −

/* function returning the maximum value between two integers */

int max(int num1, int num2) {

/* local variable declaration */ int largevalue;

if (num1 > num2) largevalue = num1;

else

largevalue = num2;

return largevalue;

Function Declarations

A function declaration tells the compiler about a function name and how to call
the function. The actual body of the function can be defined separately.

A function declaration has the following parts −

return_type function_name( parameter list );


For the above defined function max(), the function declaration is as follows −

int max(int num1, int num2);

Parameter names are not important in function declaration only their type is
required, so the following is also a valid declaration −

int max(int, int);

Function declaration is required when you define a function in one source file
and you call that function in another file. In such case, you should declare the
function at the top of the file calling the function.

Function Calling

While creating a C function, you give a definition of what the function has to do.
To use a function, you will have to call that function to perform the defined task.

When a program calls a function, the program control is transferred to the called
function. A called function performs a defined task and when its return
statement is executed or when its function-ending closing brace is reached, it
returns the program control back to the main program.

To call a function, you simply need to pass the required parameters along with
the function name, and if the function returns a value, then you can store the
returned value

Sample code:

#include <stdio.h>

/* function declaration */ int max(int num1, int num2);

int main () {

/* local variable definition */ int a = 100; int b = 200; int ret;

/* calling a function to get max value */ ret = max(a, b);


printf( "Max value is : %d\n", ret );

return 0;

/* function returning the max between two numbers */

int max(int num1, int num2) {

/* local variable declaration */


We have kept max() along with main() and compiled the source code. While
running the final executable, it would produce the result −

Output: Max value is : 200

Function void()

In C, a function with a return type of void means that the function does not return
any value. It is used when the function is intended to perform a task or action
without providing a result that needs to be used elsewhere in the program. The
void return type is typically used in functions where the primary purpose is to
execute a set of statements rather than produce a value.

Sample code:

#include <stdio.h>

// Function declaration with void return type

void greetUser()

printf("Hello, user!\n");

}
int main() {

// Function call

greetUser();

return 0;

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