What is the getc function in C?

The getc function in C reads the next character from any input stream and returns an integer value. It is a standard function in C and can be used by including the <stdio.h> header file.

Prototype

int getc(FILE *stream)

Parameter and return value

Parameter:

  • stream: A file stream or standard input stream identified by a pointer to the FILE object.

Return value:

  • int: Integer casting of the character read by getc. If the read operation is unsuccessful due to an error or the end of a file is reached, EOF is returned.

Code

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
  char c;
  printf("Enter a character: ");
  c = getc(stdin);
  printf("\nCharacter is: %c", c); // prints the character on standard output, /n is used to add a newline
  return 0;
}

Enter the input below

In the code example above, the user is prompted for a character from standard input, and the value entered is read by the getc function. The value read is then stored in the c variable and displayed.

main.c
sample.txt
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
  FILE *fp = fopen("sample.txt","r"); //file pointer opens the file in read mode
  printf("Character read from file is: %c", getc(fp)); //file content is: educative
  return 0;
}

In the example above, the sample.txt file is opened in read mode. The position pointed to by the file pointer (fp) is retrieved through getc and displayed.

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