Introduction

A function is a group of statements that together perform a task. Every C program has at least one function which is main(), and all the most trivial programs can define additional functions. You can divide up your code into separate functions. How you divide up your code among different functions is up to you, but logically the division usually is so each function performs a specific task. A function declaration tells the compiler about a function's name, return type, and parameters. A function definition provides the actual body of the function. The C standard library provides numerous built-in functions that your program can call. For example, function strcat() to concatenate two strings, function memcpy() to copy one memory location to another location and many more functions. A function is known with various names like a method or a sub-routine or a procedure etc.

Defining a Function:
The general form of a function definition in C programming language is as follows:
return_type function_name( parameter list ) { body of the function }

A function definition in C programming language consists of a function header and a function body. Here are all the parts of a function:

Return Type: A function may return a value. The return_type is the data type of the value the function returns. Some functions perform the desired operations without returning a value. In this case, the return_type is the keyword void. Function Name: This is the actual name of the function. The function name and the parameter list together constitute the function signature. Parameters: A parameter is like a placeholder. When a function is invoked, you pass a value to the parameter. This value is referred to as actual parameter or argument. The parameter list refers to the type, order, and number of the parameters of a function. Parameters are optional; that is, a function may contain no parameters. Function Body: The function body contains a collection of statements that define what the function does.

Example:
Following is the source code for a function called max(). This function takes two parameters num1 and num2 and returns the maximum between the two:
/* function returning the max between two numbers */ int max(int num1, int num2) { /* local variable declaration */ int result; if (num1 > num2) result = num1; else result = num2; return result; }

Function Declarations:
A function declaration tells the compiler about a function name and how to call the function. The actual body of the function can be defined separately. A function declaration has the following parts:
return_type function_name( parameter list );

For the above defined function max(), following is the function declaration:
int max(int num1, int num2);

Parameter names are not important in function declaration only their type is required, so following is also valid declaration:
int max(int, int);

Function declaration is required when you define a function in one source file and you call that function in another file. In such case you should declare the function at the top of the file calling the function.

Calling a Function:
While creating a C function, you give a definition of what the function has to do. To use a function, you will have to call that function to perform the defined task. When a program calls a function, program control is transferred to the called function. A called function performs defined task and when its return statement is executed or when its functionending closing brace is reached, it returns program control back to the main program. To call a function you simply need to pass the required parameters along with function name and if function returns a value then you can store returned value. For example:
#include <stdio.h> /* function declaration */ int max(int num1, int num2); int main () { /* local variable definition */ int a = 100; int b = 200; int ret; /* calling a function to get max value */ ret = max(a, b); printf( "Max value is : %d\n", ret ); return 0; } /* function returning the max between two numbers */ int max(int num1, int num2) { /* local variable declaration */ int result; if (num1 > num2) result = num1; else result = num2; return result; }

I kept max() function along with main() function and complied the source code. While running final executable, it would produce following result:
Max value is : 200

Function Arguments:
If a function is to use arguments, it must declare variables that accept the values of the arguments. These variables are called the formal parameters of the function. The formal parameters behave like other local variables inside the function and are created upon entry into the function and destroyed upon exit. While calling a function, there are two ways that arguments can be passed to a function:
Call Type Call by value Description This method copies the actual value of an argument into the formal parameter of the function. In this case, changes made to the parameter inside the function have no effect on the argument. This method copies the address of an argument into the formal parameter. Inside the function, the address is used to access the actual argument used in the call. This means that changes made to the parameter affect the argument.

Call by reference

By default, C uses call by value to pass arguments. In general, this means that code within a function cannot alter the arguments used to call the function and above mentioned example while calling max() function used the same method.

Techniques of Returning Values If you declare a function that is returning anything else than void, the compiler will need to know what value the function returns. The return value must be the same type declared. The value is returned using the return keyword. If a function is declared as a char, make sure it returns a character (only one character). Here is an example:
char Answer() { char a; printf(Do you consider yourself a reliable employee (y=Yes/n=No)? "); scanf(%c,&a); return a; }

Whether a function returns a value or it of void type, it can be called in another function.

Call by Value
If data is passed by value, the data is copied from the variable used in for example main() to a variable used by the function. So if the data passed (that is stored in the function variable) is modified inside the function, the value is only changed in the variable used inside the function.
#include <stdio.h> void call_by_value(int x) { printf("Inside call_by_value x = %d before adding 10.\n", x); x += 10; printf("Inside call_by_value x = %d after adding 10.\n", x); } int main() { int a=10; printf("a = %d before function call_by_value.\n", a); call_by_value(a); printf("a = %d after function call_by_value.\n", a); return 0; }

The output of this call by value code example will look like this:
a = 10 Inside Inside a = 10 before function call_by_value. call_by_value x = 10 before adding 10. call_by_value x = 20 after adding 10. after function call_by_value.

Call by Reference
If data is passed by reference, a pointer to the data is copied instead of the actual variable as is done in a call by value. Because a pointer is copied, if the value at that pointers address is changed in the function, the value is also changed in main().
#include <stdio.h> void call_by_reference(int *y) { printf("Inside call_by_reference y = %d before adding 10.\n", *y); (*y) += 10; printf("Inside call_by_reference y = %d after adding 10.\n", *y); } int main() { int b=10; printf("b = %d before function call_by_reference.\n", b); call_by_reference(&b); printf("b = %d after function call_by_reference.\n", b); return 0; }

The output of this call by reference source code example will look like this:
b = 10 Inside Inside b = 20 before function call_by_reference. call_by_reference y = 10 before adding 10. call_by_reference y = 20 after adding 10. after function call_by_reference.

Recursion
Recursion is the process of repeating items in a self-similar way. Same applies in programming languages as well where if a programming allows you to call a function inside the same function that is called recursive call of the function as follows.
void recursion() { recursion(); /* function calls itself */ } int main() { recursion(); }

The C programming language supports recursion ie. a function to call itself. But while using recursion, programmers need to be careful to define an exit condition from the function, otherwise it will go in infinite loop. Recursive function are very useful to solve many mathematical problems like to calculate factorial of a number, generating fibonacci series etc.

Number Factorial
Following is an example which calculate factorial for a given number using a recursive function:
#include <stdio.h> int factorial(unsigned int i) { if(i <= 1) { return 1; } return i * factorial(i - 1); } int main() { int i = 15; printf("Factorial of %d is %d\n", i, factorial(i)); return 0; }

When the above code is compiled and executed, it produces the following result:
Factorial of 15 is 2004310016