ASCII Value of a Character in C

ASCII assigns a unique numeric code to characters, allowing computers to represent and process text using numbers. In C, a character can be converted to its corresponding ASCII value using integer conversion.

• ASCII values range from 0 to 127 in the standard ASCII character set.
• A character's numeric value can be printed directly using the %d format specifier or explicit typecasting.

Illustration

Character: A
ASCII Value: 65

Approaches to Find the ASCII Value of a Character

There are two common approaches:

1. Using the %d Format Specifier

The %d format specifier prints the integer value of a character. When a char is passed where an integer is expected, it undergoes integer promotion to an integer value.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    char c = 'k';

    // %d displays the integer value of
    // a character
    // %c displays the actual character
    printf("The ASCII value of %c is %d", c, c);
    return 0;
}

The ASCII value of k is 107

Explanation: The %c specifier prints the character, while %d prints its corresponding integer value after integer promotion.

2. Using Explicit Typecasting

The character can be explicitly converted to an integer using (int) and then printed.

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

    char ch = 'A';

    // Find the ASCII value of a character using typecasting
    int asciiValue = (int)ch;

    printf("ASCII value of %c is %d\n", ch, asciiValue);
    return 0;
}

ASCII value of A is 65

Explanation: The expression (int)ch explicitly converts the character ch to an integer, which gives its corresponding character code.