C variables holds specific types of values.
The four basic variable types used in C are shown in the following table.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| char | Single-character variable; stores one character of information |
| int | Integer variable; stores integer (whole number) values |
| float | Floating-point variable; stores real numbers |
| double | Floating-point variable; stores very large or very small real numbers |
To store an integer value, use an int variable.
To store a letter of the alphabet, use a char variable.
The char and int variable types are integer values. char has a shorter range.
char type is used to store characters - letters of the alphabet, numbers, and symbols.
The float and double types are both floating-point variables that can store very small or very large values.
_Bool is used to store binary values, 1 or 0, often referred to as TRUE and FALSE, respectively.
| Type | Value Range | Conversion Character |
|---|---|---|
| _Bool | 0 to 1 | %d |
| char | -128 to 127 | %c |
| unsigned char | 0 to 255 | %u |
| short int | -32,768 to 32,767 | %d |
| unsigned short int | 0 to 65,535 | %u |
| int | -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 | %d |
| unsigned int | 0 to 4,294,967,295 | %u |
| long int | -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 | %ld |
| unsigned long int float | 0 to 4,294,967,295 1.17?10^-38 to 3.40?10^38 | %lu %f |
| double | 2.22?10^-308 to 1.79?10^308 | %f |