S t r u c t u r e d P r o g r a m m i n g -

F u n c t i o n s
Modular Programming and Functions
Objectives:

To learn and appreciate the following concepts

• To understand scope of variables

• Modularization and importance of modularization
• Understand how to define and invoke a function
• Understand the flow of control in a program involving function call
• Understand the different categories of functions
• Write programs using functions

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Session outcome:

At the end of session one will be able to

• Understand modularization and function

• Write simple programs using functions

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Programming Scenario . . .

Lengthier programs
• Prone to errors
• tedious to locate and correct the errors

To overcome this
Programs broken into a number of smaller logical components,
each of which serves a specific task.

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Modularization
Process of splitting the lengthier and complex programs into a
number of smaller units is called Modularization.

Programming with such an approach is called Modular

programming

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Advantages of modularization
• Reusability

• Debugging is easier

• Build library

• Makes programs easier to understand

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Functions
A function is a set of instructions to carryout a particular task.

Using functions we can structure our programs in a more

modular way.

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Functions
Standard functions

(library functions or built in functions)

User-defined functions
Written by the user(programmer)

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General form of function definition
return_type function_name(parameter_definition)
{
variable declaration;

statement1;
statement2;
.
.
.
return(value_computed);
}

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Defining a Function
✓Name (function name)
• You should give functions descriptive names
• Same rules as variable names, generally
✓Return type
• Data type of the value returned to the part of the program that activated (called)
the function.
✓Parameter list (parameter_definition)
• A list of variables that hold the values being passed to the function
✓Body
• Statements enclosed in curly braces that perform the function’s operations(tasks)

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Understanding main( )function
Return type Function
name Parameter List

int main (void)

{

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}
printf(“hello world\n”);
return 0;

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}
Body

11
Function Definition and Call
// FUNCTION DEFINITION
Return type Function name Parameter List
void DisplayMessage(void)
{
printf(“Hello from function DisplayMessage\n”);
}
int main()
{
printf(“Hello from main \n”);
DisplayMessage(); // FUNCTION CALL
printf(“Back in function main again.\n”);
return 0;
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} CSE 1071 Problem Solving using Computers (PSUC)-2025-26 12
Multiple Functions- An example
void First (void){ // FUNCTION DEFINITION
printf(“I am now inside function First\n”);
}
void Second (void){ // FUNCTION DEFINITION
printf( “I am now inside function Second\n”);
First(); // FUNCTION CALL
printf(“Back to Second\n”);
}
int main (){
printf( “I am starting in function main\n”);
First (); // FUNCTION CALL
printf( “Back to main function \n”);
Second (); // FUNCTION CALL
printf( “Back to main function \n”);
return 0;
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}
Arguments and Parameters
➢Both arguments and parameters are variables used in a program &
function.

➢Variables used in the function reference or function call are called as

arguments. These are written within the parenthesis followed by the
name of the function. They are also called actual parameters.

➢Variables used in function definition are called parameters, They are

also referred to as formal parameters.
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Functions Formal parameters

void dispChar(int n, char c) {

printf(" You have entered %d & %c“,n,c);
}
void dispChar(int, char);
int main(){ //calling program
int no; char ch;
printf(“Enter a number & a character: \n“);
scanf(“%d %c”,&no,&ch);
dispChar( no, ch); //Function reference
return 0; Actual parameters
}
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Function Prototypes
▪ Must be included for each function that will be defined, (required by
Standards for C++ but optional for C) if not directly defined before
main().
▪ In most cases it is recommended to include a function prototype in
your C/C++ program to avoid ambiguity.
▪ Identical to the function header, with semicolon (;) added at the end.
• Function prototype (declaration) includes
• Function name
• Parameters – what the function takes in and their type
• Return type – data type function returns (default int)
• Parameter names are Optional.
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Function Prototypes
▪Function prototype provides the compiler the name and arguments of
the functions and must appear before the function is used or defined.
▪It is a model for a function that will appear later, somewhere in the
program.
▪ General form of the function prototype:
fn_return_type fn_name(type par1, type par2, …, type parN);
• Example:
int maximum( int, int, int );
• Takes in 3 ints
• Returns an int

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Scope of Variables
• A scope is a region of the program where a defined variable can have its
existence and beyond that it cannot be accessed.

• The two types of variables are

1) local variables

2) global variables

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Local Variables
• Variables that are declared inside a function are called local variables.
• They can be used only by statements that are inside that function.
• In the following example all the variables a, b, and c are local to main()
function.
#include <stdio.h>
int main () {
/* local variable declaration */
int a, b, c;
a = 10; b = 20; c = a + b;
printf ("value of a = %d, b = %d and c = %d\n", a, b, c);
return 0;
}
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Global Variables
• Global variables are defined outside a function, usually on top of the
program.
• Global variables hold their values throughout the lifetime of your
program and they can be accessed inside any of the functions defined for
the program.
#include <stdio.h>
int g; /* global variable declaration */
int main () {
int a, b; /* local variable declaration */
a = 10; b = 20; g = a + b;
printf ("value of a = %d, b = %d and g = %d\n", a, b, g);
return 0;
}
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Functions- points to note
1. The parameter list must be separated by commas.
dispChar( int n, char c);
2. The parameter names do not need to be the same in the prototype declaration
and the function definition.
3. The types must match the types of parameters in the function definition, in
number and order.
void dispChar(int n, char c); //proto-type
void dispChar(int num, char ch){
printf(" You have entered %d &%c”, num,ch);
}
4. Use of parameter names in the declaration(prototype) is optional but
parameter type is a must.
void dispChar(int , char); //proto-type
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Functions- points to note

5. If the function has no formal parameters, the list can be written as (void) or
simply ()
6. The return type is optional, when the function returns integer type data.
7. The return type must be void if no value is returned.
8. When the declared types do not match with the types in the function
definition, compiler will produce error.

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Functions- Categories
Categorization based on the arguments and return values
1. Functions with no arguments and no return values.

2. Functions with arguments and no return values.

3. Functions with arguments and one return value.

4. Functions with no arguments but return a value.

5. Functions that return multiple values

(will see later with parameter passing techniques).

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Function with No Arguments/parameters & No return values
void dispPattern(void); // prototype

int main(){
printf(“fn to display a line of stars\n”);
dispPattern();
return 0;
}
void dispPattern(void ){
int i;
for (i=1;i<=20 ; i++)
printf( “*”);
}
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Function with No Arguments but A return value
int readNum(void); // prototype

int main(){
int c;
printf(“Enter a number \n”);
c=readNum();
printf(“The number read is %d“,c);
return 0;
}
int readNum(){
int z;
scanf(“%d”,&z);
return(z);
}
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Fn with Arguments/parameters & No return values
void dispPattern(char ch); // prototype
int main(){
printf(“fn to display a line of patterns\n”);
dispPattern(‘#’);
dispPattern(‘*’);
dispPattern(‘@’);
return 0;
}
void dispPattern(char ch ){
int i;
for (i=1;i<=20 ; i++)
printf(“%c”,ch);
}
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Function with Arguments/parameters & One return value
Int main(){
int a,b,c;
printf(“\nEnter numbers to be added\n”);
scanf(“%d %d”,&a,&b);
c=fnAdd(a,b);
printf(“Sum is %d “, c);
return 0;
}
int fnAdd(int x, int y ){
int z;
z=x+y
return(z);
}
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Problems…
Write appropriate functions to
1. Find the factorial of a number ‘n’.
2. Reverse a number ‘n’.
3. Check whether the number ‘n’ is a palindrome.
4. Generate the Fibonacci series for given limit ‘n’.
5. Check whether the number ‘n’ is prime.
6. Generate the prime series using the function written for prime check,
for a given limit.

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Factorial of a given number ‘n’
long factFn(int); //prototype //function definition
long factFn(int num) {
int main() { int i;
int n long fact=1;
long int f;
//factorial computation
printf("Enter a number :“); for (i=1; i<=num; i++)
scanf(“%d”,&n); fact=fact * i;
f =factFn(n);
printf(“Fact= %ld“,f); // return the result
return (fact);
return 0; }
}
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 Reversing a given number ‘n’
int Reverse(int); //prototype int Reverse(int num)
{
int main() int rev=0;
{ int digit;
int n,r;
printf("Enter a number : \n“); while(num!=0)
scanf(“%d”, &n); {
digit = num % 10;
r= Reverse(n); rev = (10 * rev) + digit;
printf(“ reversed no=%d“,r) num = num/10;
}
return 0; return (rev);
} }
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Check whether given number is prime or not
int IsPrime(int); //prototype int IsPrime(int num) //prime check
{
int main() { int p=1;
int n; for(int j=2;j<=num/2;j++)
{
printf(“Enter a number : “); if(num%j==0)
scanf(“%d”,&n); {
if (IsPrime(n)) p=0;
Printf(“%d is a prime no”,n); break;
else }
Printf(“%d is not a prime no”,n); }
return 0; return p;
} }
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Summary

• Modularization and importance of modularization

• Defining and invoking a function

• Flow of control of a program involving function call

• Different categories of functions

• Simple programs using functions

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