Learning intermediate / complete programs and C Graphics GUI toolkit

My only 'formal' programming training is as a college student, took an intro C++ course. Everything else programming I've learned reading books.

A while ago I decided to learn C for fun and I can see some uses. I chose C because the syntax seems to make sense to me.

I'm struggling using C in an applied way. What I mean by this is, I understand C syntax and language (structs, pointers, variable types).

Many other programming books teach language syntax but don't explain how this fits into a more complex program with multiple libraries and multiple source files. Where can I learn this part? I get it, part of it is build tools, but theres some engineering in C to the rest of this that's not in books I've found anyways.

A beginner in C vs. intermediate is arbitrary. I guess I'd like to learn more about making larger comprehensive programs.

2 - Graphics

When I chose C as a language to learn, I hadn't thought much about Graphics programming. Having spent a bit of time researching C compatible graphics libraries for 'nix, GTK or SDL seem to be good options for my n00bness level. I found a few other options, but they don't work well with my current platform.

I'd like to do 2D, or Windows toolkits for now. 3D in the future but it can be a bit more involved.

A popular comment on programmer forms is use the language you know best. No arguments from me. I can see a use cases for C for me, but, should I look at another language for the Graphics stuff?


Thanks!

Do you know how to build a 3 file project?

As in main.c, function.h, and function.c were you have written all three files.

Till you know the above you can NOT really build anything but very small projects.

Tim S.

I do not know of any books that teach about making large programs; the best way is to just practice.

Beginner programs might be contained in a single source file. As the programmer advances, multiple source files are used. When programs begin to move towards the non-trivial, multiple source files are divided into sub-directories. At this point, rigorous program planning becomes paramount. Logic development and organization help determine the necessary source files, which should be done well before any real coding takes place.

As programs become more sophisticated, it is a good idea to start using some kind of version control system. There are many options to choose from.

Practice and experience will be the best guide for learning how to build non-trivial programs.

how to develop large programs - Google Search

Other search terms to try are

• software development lifecycle
• software requirements and design
• software testing

Large projects succeed or fail long before anyone gets anywhere near writing "int main" in a source file. If you don't know what you want (the requirements) or how you're going to do it (the design), you just end up with a Big ball of mud.