C Programming: Keywords and Identifiers
keywords
In C programming, keywords are reserved words that have a specific meaning and cannot be used as identifiers (names given to variables, functions, arrays, etc.). Keywords have a fixed meaning in the C language and cannot be redefined. Here is a list of all the keywords in C:
1auto 2break 3case 4char 5const 6continue 7default 8do 9double 10else 11enum 12extern 13float 14for 15goto 16if 17int 18long 19register 20return 21short 22signed 23sizeof 24static 25struct 26switch 27typedef 28union 29unsigned 30void 31volatile 32while
Identifiers
Identifiers, on the other hand, are the names given to variables, functions, arrays, structures, etc. in a C program. They are used to refer to these entities in the program. There are certain rules to be followed while naming identifiers in C. Some of these rules are:
- Identifiers can only consist of letters, digits, and underscores.
- Identifiers cannot start with a digit.
- Identifiers are case sensitive.
For example, count, count1, Count are all valid identifiers, while 1count, count-value are not valid.
It is a good practice to use meaningful and descriptive names for identifiers, as it makes the code more readable and understandable. However, it is also important to avoid using keywords as identifiers, as it can result in syntax errors.
In C programming, it is important to understand the difference between keywords and identifiers and to use them appropriately. Keywords have a fixed meaning and cannot be redefined, while identifiers are names given to variables, functions, arrays, etc. that can be used to refer to these entities in the program.