Learning Coding Through Projects: Building an Array-Based Contact List in C

                               generated by AI 

 

I’ve finally made up my mind—I’m going to learn coding by building projects! After searching for beginner-friendly ways to learn programming, I decided to start with a simple project: creating a contact list program in C.

To make the process easier, I used AI tools to guide me. AI not only helped me understand complex concepts but also gave me confidence when debugging my code. This project taught me new functions like atoi() and advanced input handling with scanf()—tools I hadn’t used before.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through my coding journey, the challenges I faced, and how I used this project to learn programming effectively. Whether you’re a beginner programmer or someone exploring small projects to learn coding, you’ll find this post helpful.

Why I Chose to Build a Contact List

When starting as a beginner in coding, I needed a project that was simple enough to understand but useful enough to feel rewarding. A contact list felt like the perfect choice. Everyone knows what a contact list is, and it’s a good way to practice basic programming concepts like arrays, loops, user input, and functions.

The idea was straightforward:

• Allow users to add a name and phone number to a list.
• Enable users to search for a contact by name.
• Display all saved contacts.

While working on this project, I didn’t just implement these features—I learned a lot of new things that I didn’t know before.

What I Learned While Building This Project

1. Using the atoi() Function

One of the coolest functions I discovered during this project is atoi().

What it does: It converts a string into an integer.

Why it’s useful: When users input a number (like a menu choice), it’s usually taken as a string by default. With atoi(), I could easily convert it into an integer so it could be used in my program logic.

For example, when a user enters "1" to choose an option from the menu, atoi() converts it into the integer 1. Without this function, I would have had to write extra code to handle the conversion manually. This saved me time and effort!

Here’s a quick snippet I used:

char choice[10];

scanf("%s", choice);

int option = atoi(choice);

2. Reading Input with scanf() and [^\n]

Another new thing I learned is how to use scanf() effectively to read strings that include spaces. Normally, scanf() stops reading at a space, which is a problem if you want to input full names like "Yukti sahu."

By using the format specifier [^\n], I was able to read an entire line of input until the user pressed Enter. This small trick made my program feel much more user-friendly.

Example:

char name[50];

printf("Enter name: ");

scanf(" %[^\n]", name);

3. Breaking Down Problems into Smaller Parts

When I started, the idea of building a contact list felt overwhelming. But I learned that coding is all about solving one problem at a time. Instead of trying to write the whole program at once, I broke it into smaller pieces:

1. First, I worked on adding contacts.

2. Then, I implemented the search feature.

3. Finally, I added the option to display all contacts.

This step-by-step approach made the process manageable and less intimidating.

Challenges I Faced (and How I Solved Them)

1. Handling Invalid Input

At first, the program would crash if the user entered something unexpected. For example, entering a letter instead of a number in the menu.

Solution: I used atoi() to handle such cases and added checks to ensure the input was valid before proceeding.

2. Array Size Limitations

Since I was using a fixed-size array, I had to set a limit on the number of contacts. If the array was full, the program couldn’t add more contacts.

Solution: In the future, I plan to use dynamic memory allocation to handle unlimited contacts.

3. Formatting the Output

Displaying the contacts in a clean and readable format took some trial and error. But once I figured out how to use printf() effectively, it looked much better.

My Key Takeaways

1. Start Small, Learn Big: A simple project like this taught me so much about input handling, string manipulation, and problem-solving.

2. Use AI as a Learning Tool: AI tools helped me understand new concepts and debug my code. They didn’t do the work for me but guided me whenever I felt stuck.

3. Focus on the Process: Building something step by step is incredibly rewarding. The journey matters just as much as the final result.

Future Improvements for the Project

This project is just the beginning. Here are some things I want to add in the future:

1. Dynamic Memory Allocation: To allow unlimited contacts.

2. File Handling: To save the contact list permanently, even after the program closes.

3. Update and Delete Features: To make the contact list more functional.

My Final Thoughts

Learning coding through projects is one of the best decisions I’ve made. It’s not just about writing code—it’s about thinking logically, solving problems, and constantly improving. This contact list project may be simple, but it taught me some powerful concepts that I’ll carry forward in my coding journey.

If you’re a beginner like me, I encourage you to pick a small project, break it into parts, and start coding. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll become.

Feel free to check out my project on GitHub: My project. I’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions!

Happy coding!