Coding without braces: An alternate C Syntax

C programming language includes alternative syntax options called digraphs and trigraphs. These allow the use of two or three character combinations to represent symbols like braces and brackets, which may not be available on all keyboards. For example, <% can be used instead of {, and ??< represents {. This feature was designed to accommodate different character sets and keyboard layouts. While trigraphs are being phased out in C23, digraphs remain supported. These alternatives have also been used creatively in code obfuscation competitions.