This book aims to serve as the fundamental tool for transferring the art and science of programming. It is intended for those who aspire to claim the title of programmer and the professional who will develop useful software packages. It is not a barren aid like those that teach commands and syntax of a programming language.

To achieve its goal, it initially develops all the fundamental features provided by the language (variables, data types, operators, control structures, input and output statements, subprograms, and arrays). For all these features, problems and programming solutions are provided.

Next, it emphasizes characters, regular numbers, string management, array layout (with the help of bubble sort), and constructing complex types (records) from the user. The pre-announcement of functions, the C preprocessor, and scalar and enumerated types are also studied. All of these are utilized in real-world problems.

There is also a significant reference to dynamic data structures, dynamic memory management, and pointers. All of the above are covered in the first seven chapters.

The next six (out of a total of twenty chapters) of the book examine file management. At the beginning (chapter 8), a distinction is made between text files, binary files, and record files. For the latter, we have dedicated a large part of the chapter, in which a complete application for managing a phone directory is developed.

Subsequently (chapter 9), variable-length record files are examined, and a second application is developed that allows a variable number of phone numbers per contact in the directory. In the remaining four out of the six chapters dedicated to files, the four most fundamental forms of data file processing are explored.

In chapter 10, sequential files and all the algorithms required for their maintenance (search, insert, delete, and update) are examined. The comprehensive software package reviewed in the chapter on sequential files is the management of hotel units (accommodations) in a geographical area. The bubble sort algorithm is also adapted for sorting files.

In the chapter that examines sorted sequential files (chapter 11), the essential algorithms required for their maintenance are constructed. These algorithms are utilized for an application (software package) that manages personnel (Human Resources Management) and payroll of a company with sorted sequential files.

In these two chapters (10 and 11), great emphasis is placed on developing algorithms with the help of pseudocode. There is also a reference to the computing power requirements of different (alternative) algorithms. The development and explanation of the algorithms are done in a way that aids in the assimilation of programming - algorithmic thinking.

In the penultimate of the six dedicated chapters on files, direct access files are developed and utilized in a library lending application. In the sixth (last) chapter on files, files with pointers are developed. In this chapter, two applications are developed: maintenance of a Tax Register and maintenance of a Student Registry of an educational institution.

In the next seven chapters (14 to 20), we delve into more specialized topics, such as: Records with variations, Communication of programs with the operating system, Scope and duration of variables, Recursive subprograms, Processing binary digits, Data structures, Advanced pointer topics.