Control Structures in C Programming

What are control structures in C programming?

Control structures in C programming commands or instructs a program about the order in which the given statements should execute. In simple terms, it gives order to the execution flow of the statements in a program. The instructions are in the values of the variables.

What is program control?

The hard and fast rule is that the program starts executing from the main() function. Generally, the statements embedded within the main() function start executing systematically from top to bottom.

However, there are chances for the programmer to change the execution flow of the statements. Instead of making the statements execute systematically, they can change the order of the flow. This process is known as program control. Here, program control statements or control structures enable program control.

Classification of Control Structures in C Programming: An Overview

Primarily, there are three types,

1. Sequential Control Structures
2. Selection or Decision-Making Control Structures
3. Iteration or Looping Control Structures

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It follows the basic format while executing the program. It means the statements in the program execute sequentially or line-by-line in the format in which they appear.

For Example:

Int x = 9;
Int y = 12;
Int sum = x+y;

Selection or Decision-Making Control Structures:

Instead of executing the statements from top to bottom, the program can make decisions for executing the code blocks of choice.

Some of the examples include if, if-else, else if, and switch statements.

Example:

If (x<y) {
  Printf(“x is smaller”);
} else {
  Printf(“y is smaller”);
}

It allows the repetition of the code several times. Here, the loops are divided into three types. They include for loop, while loop, and do-while loop.

The sample code is as follows,

For (int x = 0; x<9; i++) {
       Printf(“%d\n", x);
}

Jump Control Structure:

Developers can use jump statements by using terminologies such as return, goto, continue, and break in case they want to alter the flow of the program.

For example,

For (int x = 0; x < 20; x++) {
   If (x == 15) break;
   Printf("%d\n", x); 
}

Importance of Control Structures in C Programming:

Control structures play an important role in program execution, especially in calculating complex programs. They mainly control the flow of a program. Below is a detailed description of their purpose.

Manage Execution Flow:

Using control structures in C programming makes it easier to repeat actions, make decisions, or skip specific code blocks based on certain conditions.

Such a provision adds more flexibility and intelligence to the programming. It substitutes the basic format of line-by-line execution.

Facilitates Decision Making:

Using statements such as if, if-else, and switch, the C program can select different actions on the data.

Here, if statements get executed only when they fulfill the condition of specific criteria; otherwise, they will not execute. Likewise, if-else offers many options to execute; only after meeting the condition does it execute. Otherwise, it jumps to another statement to execute. It checks all the statements and executes one of them only after meeting the requirements.

Enhances Code Efficiency:

Control statements help developers write efficient programming code, particularly without repetition, while enhancing efficiency and compactness. And most importantly, it lessens complexities.

Repetition

Specific control statements such as for, while, and do-while allow efficient handling of repetitive tasks without writing extensive code. For example, such statements help in printing numbers from 1 to 1000.

Develop Complex Logical Applications:

These control statements enable developers to create complex algorithms and, in turn, applications ranging from simple calculator programs to complex gaming applications.

Ensures Reuse of Code:

In addition to enabling the code easier to understand and read, these control structures ensures easy debugging.

In summary, each control structure ensures a particular purpose. For example, for, while helps in repeating actions, switch enables in selecting the correct solution from multiple options, if, else ensures in proper decision making, and goto, continue, break to jump flow.