Chapter 9. Functions

You will learn about the following in this chapter:

  • Keyword:

    return

  • Operators:

    * (unary) & (unary)

  • Functions and how to define them

  • How to use arguments and return values

  • How to use pointer variables as function arguments

  • Function types

  • ANSI C prototypes

  • Recursion

How do you organize a program? C's design philosophy is to use functions as building blocks. You've already relied on the standard C library for functions such as printf(), scanf(), getchar(), putchar(), and strlen(). Now you're ready for a more active role—creating your own functions. You've previewed several aspects of that process in earlier chapters, and this chapter consolidates your earlier information and expands on it.

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