Control Structures

Control structures are fundamental concepts in programming that dictate the flow of execution of instructions in a program. They allow developers to control how and when different parts of a program run based on certain conditions. Here are the main types of control structures:

1. Sequential Control:
   • The default mode of execution, where statements are executed one after the other in the order they appear.
2. Selection Control (Conditional Statements):
   • if statements: Execute a block of code if a specified condition is true.
   • if-else statements: Provide an alternative block of code that executes if the condition is false.
   • switch statements: Selects one of many code blocks to execute based on the value of a variable.
3. Repetition Control (Loops):
   • for loops: Execute a block of code a specific number of times.
   • while loops: Execute a block of code as long as a specified condition is true.
   • do-while loops: Similar to while loops, but the block of code is executed at least once before the condition is checked.
4. Jump Statements:
   • break: Exits a loop or switch statement prematurely.
   • continue: Skips the current iteration of a loop and proceeds to the next iteration.
   • return: Exits a function and optionally returns a value.

In C, control structures are essential for managing the flow of a program. Here’s a breakdown of the main types of control structures, along with examples:

1. Sequential Control

This is the default flow of execution, where statements are executed in the order they appear.

2. Selection Control

These structures allow you to make decisions in your code.

• if statement: if (condition) {

// Code to execute if condition is true

}

• if-else statement:

if (condition) {
// Code if condition is true
} else {
// Code if condition is false
}

• else if

if (condition1) {
// Code for condition1
} else if (condition2) {
// Code for condition2
} else {
// Code if none of the conditions are true
}

• switch statement:

switch (variable) {
case value1:
// Code for value1
break;
case value2:
// Code for value2
break;
default:
// Code if no cases match
}

3. Repetition Control

Loops allow you to execute code multiple times.

• for loop: for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  // Code to execute 10 times
  }
• while loop: while (condition) {
  // Code to execute while condition is true
  }
• do-while loop: do {
  // Code to execute at least once and then while condition is true
  } while (condition);

4. Jump Statements

These allow you to change the flow of execution.

• break: for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i == 5) {
  break; // Exit the loop when i is 5
  }
  }
• continue:for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  if (i % 2 == 0) {
  continue; // Skip even numbers
  }
  // Code for odd numbers
  }
• return: int function() {
  return value; // Exit function and return value
  }