Introductory C: Pointers, Functions, and Files

C differs from most programming languages in its use of pointers, functions, and files. For those learning C, pointers are the greatest source of confusion. The primary aim of this book is to provide working models of how pointers are used in C. Pointers are used differently with every programming feature and Introductory C, Second Edition, emphasizes how each new programming feature relates to the use of pointers to provide a thorough understanding of the applications throughout C.

Introductory C, Second Edition, offers a detailed explanation of Arrays in C over several chapters, describing strings, arrays of structures, multi-dimensional arrays, and arrays of pointers. The underlying implementation of arrays using pointersis described in detail with such features as pointers to elements, pointers to arrays, and pointers to pointers. File access methods using text and binary files are also given thorough coverage: character, line, formatted text files, and record binary files are described, and the implementation of file access functions is described in detail. This book will be of great use to programmers at all levels.

• Includes three new chapters introducing C++, including coverage of classes, objects, constructors, overloading, inheritance, and derivation
• Contains a floppy disk with source code from examples in the book

Richard Petersen teaches C Programming and UNIX courses at the University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral work was in artificial intelligence applications to information retrieval. He has pursued studies in cognitive science, philosophy, and aesthetics with particular emphasis on skill acquisition.