getchar Function in C

The getchar() function in C is a standard library function used to read a single character from the standard input device (keyboard). It is commonly used for simple character-based input operations.

• Reads one character at a time from the standard input stream (stdin).
• Defined in the <stdio.h> header file.

Enter a character: You entered: �

Syntax

int getchar(void);

getchar() function does not take any parameters.

Return Value

• Returns the entered character as an integer (int) representing its ASCII value.
• Returns EOF (End Of File) if the end of the input stream is reached or an input error occurs.

Examples of C getchar Function

The following C programs demonstrate the use of getchar() function

Example 1: Read a single character using getchar() function.

Input

f

Output

The entered character is : f

Example 2: Program to implement putchar to print the character entered by the user:

Input

Enter any random character between a-z: k

Output

The entered character is : k

Example 3: Reading multiple characters using getchar()

Input

geeksforgeeks

Output

geeksforgeeks

Example 4: Read sentences using getchar() function and do-while loop.

Input

Enter the characters
Welcome to GeeksforGeeks

Output

Entered characters are Welcome to GeeksforGeeks