Scribd
Upload
435 views

Scope of A Variable

There are three scopes for variables in C programming: local, global, and formal parameters. Local variables are declared within a function and are only accessible within that function. Global variables are declared outside of functions and are accessible everywhere. Formal parameters refer to function parameters and take precedence over global variables of the same name within that function. Variables must be initialized, with local variables initialized by the programmer and global variables initialized to default values by the system.

Uploaded by

M Junaid Sultan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
435 views

Scope of A Variable

There are three scopes for variables in C programming: local, global, and formal parameters. Local variables are declared within a function and are only accessible within that function. Global variables are declared outside of functions and are accessible everywhere. Formal parameters refer to function parameters and take precedence over global variables of the same name within that function. Variables must be initialized, with local variables initialized by the programmer and global variables initialized to default values by the system.

Uploaded by

M Junaid Sultan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Scope of a variable:

A scope in any programming is a region of the program where a defined variable


can have its existence and beyond that variable cannot be accessed. There are
three places where variables can be declared in C programming language:
1. Inside a function or a block which is called local variables,
2. Outside of all functions, which is called global variables.
3. In the definition of function parameters which is called formal parameters.
Let us explain what are local and global variables and formal parameters.
Local Variables
Variables that are declared inside a function or block are called local variables.
They can be used only by statements that are inside that function or block of
code. Local variables are not known to functions outside their own. Following is
the example using local variables. Here all the variables a, b and c are local to
main() function.
#include <stdio.h>

int main ()
{
/* local variable declaration */
int a, b;
int c;

/* actual initialization */
a = 10;
b = 20;
c = a + b;

printf ("value of a = %d, b = %d and c = %d\n", a, b, c);

return 0;
}
Global Variables
Global variables are defined outside of a function, usually on top of the program.
The global variables will hold their value throughout the lifetime of your program
and they can be accessed inside any of the functions defined for the program.
A global variable can be accessed by any function. That is, a global variable is
available for use throughout your entire program after its declaration. Following is
the example using global and local variables:
#include <stdio.h>

/* global variable declaration */
int g;

int main ()
{
/* local variable declaration */
int a, b;

/* actual initialization */
a = 10;
b = 20;
g = a + b;

printf ("value of a = %d, b = %d and g = %d\n", a, b, g);

return 0;
}
A program can have same name for local and global variables but value of local
variable inside a function will take preference. Following is an example:
#include <stdio.h>

/* global variable declaration */
int g = 20;

int main ()
{
/* local variable declaration */
int g = 10;

printf ("value of g = %d\n", g);

return 0;
}
When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:
value of g = 10
Formal Parameters
Function parameters, formal parameters, are treated as local variables with-in
that function and they will take preference over the global variables. Following is
an example:
#include <stdio.h>

/* global variable declaration */
int a = 20;

int main ()
{
/* local variable declaration in main function */
int a = 10;
int b = 20;
int c = 0;

printf ("value of a in main() = %d\n", a);
c = sum( a, b);
printf ("value of c in main() = %d\n", c);

return 0;
}

/* function to add two integers */
int sum(int a, int b)
{
printf ("value of a in sum() = %d\n", a);
printf ("value of b in sum() = %d\n", b);

return a + b;
}
When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:
value of a in main() = 10
value of a in sum() = 10
value of b in sum() = 20
value of c in main() = 30
Initializing Local and Global Variables
When a local variable is defined, it is not initialized by the system, you must
initialize it yourself. Global variables are initialized automatically by the system
when you define them as follows:
Data Type Initial Default Value
int 0
char '\0'
float 0
double 0
pointer NULL
It is a good programming practice to initialize variables properly otherwise, your
program may produce unexpected results because uninitialized variables will
take some garbage value already available at its memory location.

You might also like