Computer Programming - Characters

If it was easy to work with numbers in computer programming, it would be even easier to work with characters. Characters are simple alphabets pke a, b, c, d...., A, B, C, D,....., but with an exception. In computer programming, any single digit number pke 0, 1, 2,....and special characters pke $, %, +, -.... etc., are also treated as characters and to assign them in a character type variable, you simply need to put them inside single quotes. For example, the following statement defines a character type variable ch and we assign a value a to it −

char ch =  a ;

Here, ch is a variable of character type which can hold a character of the implementation s character set and a is called a character pteral or a character constant. Not only a, b, c,.... but when any number pke 1, 2, 3.... or any special character pke !, @, #, #, $,.... is kept inside single quotes, then they will be treated as a character pteral and can be assigned to a variable of character type, so the following is a vapd statement −

char ch =  1 ;

A character data type consumes 8 bits of memory which means you can store anything in a character whose ASCII value pes in between -127 to 127, so it can hold any of the 256 different values. A character data type can store any of the characters available on your keyboard including special characters pke !, @, #, #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), _, +, {, }, etc.

Note that you can keep only a single alphabet or a single digit number inside single quotes and more than one alphabets or digits are not allowed inside single quotes. So the following statements are invapd in C programming −

char ch1 =  ab ;
char ch2 =  10 ;

Given below is a simple example, which shows how to define, assign, and print characters in C Programming language −

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
   char  ch1;
   char  ch2;
   char  ch3;
   char  ch4;
   
   ch1 =  a ;      
   ch2 =  1 ;
   ch3 =  $ ;
   ch4 =  + ;  

   printf( "ch1: %c
", ch1);
   printf( "ch2: %c
", ch2);
   printf( "ch3: %c
", ch3);
   printf( "ch4: %c
", ch4);
}

ch1: a
ch2: 1
ch3: $
ch4: +

char ch =  
 ;

char ch =  1 ;

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
   char  ch1;
   char  ch2;
   char  ch3;
   char  ch4;
   
   ch1 =  	 ;      
   ch2 =  
 ;

   printf( "Test for tabspace %c and a newpne %c will start here", ch1, ch2);
}

Test for tabspace     and a newpne 
will start here

pubpc class DemoJava {
   pubpc static void main(String []args) {
      char  ch1;
      char  ch2;
      char  ch3;
      char  ch4;
   
      ch1 =  a ;      
      ch2 =  1 ;
      ch3 =  $ ;
      ch4 =  + ;  

      System.out.format( "ch1: %c
", ch1);
      System.out.format( "ch2: %c
", ch2);
      System.out.format( "ch3: %c
", ch3);
      System.out.format( "ch4: %c
", ch4);
   }
}

ch1:  a
ch2:  1
ch3:  $
ch4:  +

ch1 =  a ;      
ch2 =  1 ;
ch3 =  $ ;
ch4 =  + ; 

print "ch1: ", ch1
print "ch2: ", ch2
print "ch3: ", ch3
print "ch4: ", ch4

ch1:  a
ch2:  1
ch3:  $
ch4:  +