How to Start Learning C Programming in Turbo C++ IDE

Co-authored by Tyrone Showers

Last Updated: January 17, 2024

C is one of the oldest and most powerful programming language that was first developed in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie. However, if C programming is mastered, learning other programming languages will be easy. This article will help you to start learning C programming, by using the compiler Turbo C++ IDE .

Steps

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1
Download Turbo C++ IDE for your operating system.
- Turbo C++ may not work in Windows Vista and Windows 7. You may have to run it through another program called DosBox .
  
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- Install the software DOSBox version 0.74
  
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- Create a folder,for example "Turbo" (C:\Turbo\):
  
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- Download and extract TC into the Turbo folder (c:\Turbo\):
  
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- Run the DOSBox 0.74 from the icon located on the desktop:
  
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- Type the following commands at the command prompt [Z]:
- mount d c:\Turbo\ [The folder TC is present inside the folder Turbo]
  
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- Now you should get a message which says: Drive D is mounted as a local directory c:\Turbo\
  
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- Type d: to shift to d:
  
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- Next follow the commands below:
- cd tc
  cd bin
  tc or tc.exe
  [This starts you the Turbo C++ 3.0]
- In the Turbo C++ go to Options>Directories> Change the source of TC to the source directory [D] ( i.e. virtual D: refers to original c:\Turbo\ . So make the path change to something like D:\TC\include and D:\TC\lib respectively )
  
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- You can save yourself some time by having DOSBox automatically mount your folders and start TurboC++:
- For DOSBox versions older then 0.74 browse into program installation folder and open the dosbox.conf file in any text editor. For version 0.73 go to Start Menu and click on “Configuration” and then “Edit Configuration“. Then scroll down to the very end, and add the lines which you want to automatically execute when DOSBox starts.
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Once you have got yourself the Turbo C++ compiler, learn about the #include , printf (Printf is used to print a message onto the console) and scanf (Scanf is used to scan a message from the console to the memory) functions.

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Congratulate yourself, you're starting to learn C programming in Turbo C++ IDE!
4

Remember, C is a High Level Language (HLL). It is case sensitive, modular and structured.
5
Learn about keywords. These are predefined words reserved by the language. Each keyword has a specific function. We cannot use keywords for any other purpose.
- There are 32 keywords in C language.
  
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- Every keyword is case sensitive.
- A keyword cannot be an identifier, variable or a function.
- Examples of keywords : void, if, else, do .
6

Learn about variables. Variables are names given to certain memory blocks where the program will store certain values. To use a variable, the programmer will have to declare it first.
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7
Datatype : These indicate the type of value represented by certain variable. Given below are the 4 most common and important data types and on the right hand side is their format-specifier.
- int --> %d
- float --> %f
- char --> %c
- double --> %f (Yes, float & double have the same format specifier)
- Strings are a part of char but the format specifier for strings is %s
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Learn about Arithmetic operators, logical operators, increment/ decrement operators, conditional operator, control flow structure (if-else, if statement, nested if) and looping (while, do-while, for).
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ASCII is used occasionally in C programming.
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13
Get enrolled with certain courses to improve your command over C programming. Read books related to C programming.
- Remember, you cannot master any language without determination and hard work.

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Is C++ case-sensitive?

Denneisk

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Letters are case-sensitive in C++, meaning that "main" and "Main" are two completely different things. A good tip to remember is that most (if not all) functions start with a lower case.

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Are there any errors in this Turbo C++ code: scanf("%d , andValue2)?

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Yes, there is an error. You can only use ampersands in this situation, so instead you should have scanf("%d", &Value2).

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Which software is helpful for C?

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Codeblock or Visual Studio Community 2015 (free) are helpful.

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Learn to debug a program.

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If you are unable to fix a syntax error, try searching Google or some other search engine. There are loads of people around you who are ready to help.

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If you encounter a mistake, tell it to others. Don't hide them. Making mistake is the first step to learning any programming language.

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