Description
Each chapter ends by reviewing the key points you should remember from that chapter. One of the key features that ties everything together is the section titled “The Absolute Minimum.” This chapter summary states the chapter’s primary goal, lists a code example that highlights the concepts taught, and provides a code analysis that explains that code example. You’ll find these chapter summaries, which begin in Chapter 2, “Writing Your First C Program,” to be a welcome wrap-up of the chapter’s main points.
This book uses the following typographic conventions:
• Code lines, variables, and any text you see onscreen appears in monospace
.
• Placeholders on format lines appear in italic monospace.
• Parts of program output that the user typed appear in bold monospace.
• New terms appear in italic.
• Optional parameters in syntax explanations are enclosed in flat brackets ([ ]
). You do not type the brackets when you include these parameters.
How Can I Have Fun with C?
Appendix B, “The Draw Poker Program,” contains a complete, working Draw Poker program. The program was kept as short as possible without sacrificing readable code and game-playing functionality. The game also had to be kept generic to work on all C compilers. Therefore, you won’t find fancy graphics, but when you learn C, you’ll easily be able to access your compiler’s specific graphics, sound, and data-entry routines to improve the program.
The program uses as much of this book’s contents as possible. Almost every topic taught in this book appears in the Draw Poker game. Too many books offer nothing more than snippets of code. The Draw Poker game gives you the chance to see the “big picture.” As you progress through this book, you’ll understand more and more of the game.
What Do I Do Now?
Turn the page and learn the C language.