Class Note :14

FUNCTION

A function is a self contained block of codes or sub programs with a set of

statements that perform some specific task or coherent task when it is called.

It is something like to hiring a person to do some specific task like, every six
months servicing a bike and hand over to it.

Any ‘C’ program contain at least one function i.e main().

There are basically two types of function those are

1. Library function

2. User defined function

The user defined functions defined by the user according to its requirement

System defined function can’t be modified, it can only read and can be used.
These function are supplied with every C compiler

Source of these library function are pre complied and only object code get used by
the user by linking to the code by linker

Here in system defined function description:

Function definition : predefined, precompiled, stored in the library

 Function declaration : In header file with or function prototype.

Function call : By the programmer

User defined function

Syntax:-

Return type name of function (type 1 arg 1, type2 arg2, type3 arg3)

Return type function name argument list of the above syntax

So when user gets his own function three thing he has to know, these are.

Function declaration

Function definition

Function call

These three things are represented like

int function(int, int, int); /*function declaration*/

main() /* calling function*/

function(arg1,arg2,arg3);

int function(type 1 arg 1,type2 arg2,type3, arg3) /*function definition/*

Local variable declaration;

Statement;

Return value;

}
Function declaration:-
Function declaration is also known as function prototype. It inform the compiler
about three thing, those are name of the function, number and type of argument
received by the function and the type of value returned by the function.

While declaring the name of the argument is optional and the function prototype
always terminated by the semicolon.

Function definition:-

Function definition consists of the whole description and code of the function.

It tells about what function is doing what are its inputs and what are its out put

It consists of two parts function header and function body

Syntax:-

return type function(type 1 arg1, type2 arg2, type3 arg3) /*function header*/

Local variable declaration;

Statement 1;

Statement 2;

Return value

The return type denotes the type of the value that function will return and it is
optional and if it is omitted, it is assumed to be int by default. The body of the
function is the compound statements or block which consists of local variable
declaration statement and optional return statement.
The local variable declared inside a function is local to that function only. It can’t
be used anywhere in the program and its existence is only within this function.

The arguments of the function definition are known as formal arguments.

Function Call

When the function get called by the calling function then that is called, function
call. The compiler execute these functions when the semicolon is followed by the
function name.

Example:-

function(arg1,arg2,arg3);

The argument that are used inside the function call are called actual argument

Ex:-

int S=sum(a, b); //actual arguments

Actual argument

The arguments which are mentioned or used inside the function call is knows as
actual argument and these are the original values and copy of these are actually
sent to the called function

It can be written as constant, expression or any function call like

Function (x);

Function (20, 30);

Function (a*b, c*d);

Function(2,3,sum(a, b));

Formal Arguments

The arguments which are mentioned in function definition are called formal
arguments or dummy arguments.
These arguments are used to just hold the copied of the values that are sent by the
calling function through the function call.

These arguments are like other local variables which are created when the function
call starts and destroyed when the function ends.

The basic difference between the formal argument and the actual argument are

1) The formal argument are declared inside the parenthesis where as the
local variable declared at the beginning of the function block.

2). The formal argument are automatically initialized when the copy of actual
arguments are passed while other local variable are assigned values through the
statements.

Order number and type of actual arguments in the function call should be match
with the order number and type of the formal arguments.

Return type

It is used to return value to the calling function. It can be used in two way as

return

Or return(expression);

Ex:- return (a);

return (a*b);

return (a*b+c);

Here the 1st return statement used to terminate the function without returning any
value

Ex:- /*summation of two values*/

int sum (int a1, int a2);

main()
 {

int a,b;

printf(“enter two no”);

scanf(“%d%d”,&a,&b);

int S=sum(a,b);

printf(“summation is = %d”,s);

int sum(intx1,int y1)

int z=x1+y1;

Return z;

Advantage of function

By using function large and difficult program can be divided in to sub programs
and solved. When we want to perform some task repeatedly or some code is to be
used more than once at different place in the program, then function avoids this
repeatition or rewritten over and over.

Due to reducing size, modular function it is easy to modify and test

Notes:-

C program is a collection of one or more function.

A function is get called when function is followed by the semicolon.

A function is defined when a function name followed by a pair of curly braces

 Any function can be called by another function even main() can be called by other
function.

main()
{

function1()

function1()

Statement;

function2;

function 2()

So every function in a program must be called directly or indirectly by the main()

function. A function can be called any number of times.

A function can call itself again and again and this process is called recursion.

A function can be called from other function but a function can’t be defined in
another function

Class Number :15

Category of Function based on argument and return type

i) Function with no argument & no return value

 Function that have no argument and no return value is written as:-

void function(void);

main()

void function()

Statement;

Example:-

void me();

main()

me();

printf(“in main”);

void me()

printf(“come on”);

Output: come on

inn main
ii) Function with no argument but return value

Syntax:-

int fun(void);

main()

int r;

r=fun();

int fun()

reurn(exp);

Example:-

int sum();

main()
{

int b=sum();

printf(“entered %d\n, b”);

int sum()

int a,b,s;
 s=a+b;

return s;

Here called function is independent and are initialized. The values aren’t passed by
the calling function .Here the calling function and called function are
communicated partly with each other.

Class Number :16

iii) function with argument but no return value

Here the function have argument so the calling function send data to the called
function but called function dose n’t return value.

Syntax:-

void fun (int,int);

main()

int (a,b);

void fun(int x, int y);

Statement;

}
Here the result obtained by the called function.

iv) function with argument and return value

Here the calling function has the argument to pass to the called function and the
called function returned value to the calling function.

Syntax:-

fun(int,int);

main()

int r=fun(a,b);

int fun(intx,inty)

return(exp);

Example:

main()

int fun(int);

int a,num;

printf(“enter value:\n”);

scanf(“%d”,&a)
 int num=fun(a);

int fun(int x)

++x;

return x;

Call by value and call by reference

There are two way through which we can pass the arguments to the function such
as call by value and call by reference.

1. Call by value

In the call by value copy of the actual argument is passed to the formal argument
and the operation is done on formal argument.

When the function is called by ‘call by value’ method, it doesn’t affect content of
the actual argument.

Changes made to formal argument are local to block of called function so when the
control back to calling function the changes made is vanish.

Example:-

main()

int x,y;

change(int,int);
 printf(“enter two values:\n”);

scanf(“%d%d”,&x,&y);

change(x ,y);

printf(“value of x=%d and y=%d\n”,x ,y);

change(int a,int b);

int k;

k=a;

a=b;

b=k;

Output: enter two values: 12

23

Value of x=12 and y=23

2. Call by reference

Instead of passing the value of variable, address or reference is passed and the
function operate on address of the variable rather than value.

Here formal argument is alter to the actual argument, it means formal arguments
calls the actual arguments.

Example:-

void main()
{

int a,b;

change(int

*,int*);

printf(“enter

two

values:\n”);

scanf(“%d%d”

,&a,&b);

change(&a,&b

);

printf(“after changing two value of a=%d and b=%d\n:”a,b);

change(int *a, int *b)

a
 ;

*a=*b;

*b= k;

printf(“value in this function a=%d and b=%d\n”,*a,*b);

Output: enter

two values:

12 32

Value in this function a=32 and b=12

After changing two value of a=32 and b=12

So here instead of passing value of the variable, directly passing

address of the variables. Formal argument directly access the value
and swapping is possible even after calling a function.