c/language/basic concepts

This section provides definitions for the specific terminology and the concepts used when describing the C programming language.

A C program is a sequence of text files (typically header and source files) that contain. They undergo to become an executable program, which is executed when the OS calls its  (unless it is itself the OS or another freestanding program, in which case the entry point is implementation-defined).

Certain words in a C program have special meaning, they are keywords. Others can be used as s, which may be used to identify s,, , , or tags, their members,  names, , or  macros.

Each identifier (other than macro) is only valid within a part of the program called its and belongs to one of four kinds of s. Some identifiers have  which makes them refer to the same entities when they appear in different scopes or translation units.

Definitions of functions include sequences of and, some of which include , which specify the computations to be performed by the program.

and create, destroy, access, and manipulate s. Each, , and  in C is associated with a.