Character variables are declared using the 'char' specifier, and may take on any single value in the machine's CHARACTER SET. An integer representation is used corresponding to this character set. Character constants may be identified by either the appropriate integer or by the character enclosed in single quotes:
char input1, input2;
input1 = 'a';
input2 = 97;
(In machines using the ASCII character set, both input1 and input2 will represent the same value. In general, the first assignment is preferable since it is clearer and not machine-dependent.)
Non-printable characters in the character set are represented by an escape sequence: a backslash followed by a code character. For example, the carriage return character is represented by '\n'.
