In c, we can divide a large program into the basic building blocks known as function. The function contains the set of programming statements enclosed by {}. A function can be called multiple times to provide reusability and modularity to the C program. In other words, we can say that the collection of functions creates a program. The function is also known as procedure or subroutine in other programming languages.

Why Function Required?

There are many situations where we might need to write same line of code for more than once in a program.This may lead to unnecessary repetition of code, bugs and even becomes boring for the programmer. So, C language provides an approach in which you can declare and define a group of statements once in the form of a function and it can be called and used whenever required.

In 'C' programming functions are divided into three activities such as,

1. Function declaration 
2. Function definition 
3. Function call 

Function declaration

A function must be declared globally in a c program to tell the compiler about the function name, function parameters, and return type.

returntype functionName(type1 parameter1, type2 parameter2,...);

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 definition

It contains the actual statements which are to be executed. It is the most important aspect to which the control comes when the function is called. Here, we must notice that only one value can be returned from the function.

return_type function_name(data_type parameter...){  
//code to be executed  
}  

Function call

When a program calls a function, the program control is transferred to the called function. A called function performs a defined task and when its return statement is executed or when its function-ending closing brace is reached, it returns the program control back to the main program.

To call a function, you simply need to pass the required parameters along with the function name, and if the function returns a value, then you can store the returned value

Function can be called from anywhere in the program. The parameter list must not differ in function calling and function declaration. We must pass the same number of functions as it is declared in the function declaration.

#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; 
}

Advantage of functions in C

• By using functions, we can avoid rewriting same logic/code again and again in a program.
• We can call C functions any number of times in a program and from any place in a program.
• We can track a large C program easily when it is divided into multiple functions.
• Reusability is the main achievement of C functions.
• However, Function calling is always a overhead in a C program.