C Programming For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10

Fun with Functions

IN THIS CHAPTER

Creating a function

Avoiding the prototype

Working with variables in a function

Passing arguments to a function

Returning values from a function

Using return to leave a function

When it comes to getting work done, it’s a program’s functions that do the heavy lifting. The C language comes with libraries full of functions, which help bolster the basics of the language, the keywords, the operators, and so on. When these C library functions fall short, you concoct your own functions.

Anatomy of a Function

The tools that are needed to craft your own functions are brief. After deciding the function’s purpose, you give it a unique name, toss in some parentheses and curly brackets, and you’re pretty much done. Of course, the reality is a bit more involved.

Constructing a function

All functions are dubbed with a name, which must be unique; no ...