unsigned char in C with Examples

char is the most basic data type in C. It stores a single character and requires a single byte of memory in almost all compilers.

Now character datatype can be divided into 2 types:

1. signed char
2. unsigned char

unsigned char is a character datatype where the variable consumes all the 8 bits of the memory and there is no sign bit (which is there in signed char). So it means that the range of unsigned char data type ranges from 0 to 255.

Syntax:

unsigned char [variable_name] = [value]

Example:

unsigned char ch = 'a';

• Initializing an unsigned char: Here we try to insert a char in the unsigned char variable with the help of ASCII value. So the ASCII value 97 will be converted to a character value, i.e. ‘a’ and it will be inserted in unsigned char.

  // C program to show unsigned char
  
  #include <stdio.h>
  
  int main()
  {
  
      int chr = 97;
      unsigned char i = chr;
      printf("unsigned char: %c\n", i);
  
      return 0;
  }
  Output:

  unsigned char: a
  

  Initializing an unsigned char with signed value: Here we try to insert a char in the unsigned char variable with the help of ASCII value. So the ASCII value -1 will be first converted to a range 0-255 by rounding. So it will be 255. Now, this value will be converted to a character value, i.e. ‘ÿ’ and it will be inserted in unsigned char.

  // C program to show unsigned char
  
  #include <stdio.h>
  
  int main()
  {
  
      int chr = -1;
      unsigned char i = chr;
      printf("unsigned char: %c\n", i);
  
      return 0;
  }
  Output:

  unsigned char: ÿ