Write a C program to print an X pattern of asterisks based on the number of rows.

The program starts by including the standard input/output library (stdio.h). It then declares integer variables i, j, and rows. The user is prompted to "Enter number of rows", and their input is stored in the rows variable.

The program uses two nested for loops:

• The outer loop (for(i=0; i<rows; i++)) iterates through each row, with i representing the current row index (from 0 to rows-1).
• The inner loop (for(j=0; j<rows; j++)) iterates through each column within the current row, with j representing the current column index (from 0 to rows-1). This creates a grid of rows by rows cells.

Inside the inner loop, an if statement checks two conditions:

• i == j: This condition is true for cells that lie on the main diagonal (top-left to bottom-right).
• i + j == rows - 1: This condition is true for cells that lie on the anti-diagonal (top-right to bottom-left). If either of these conditions is true, an asterisk (*) is printed. Otherwise, a space ( ) is printed.

After the inner loop completes (meaning all columns for the current row have been processed), printf("\n"); prints a newline character. This moves the cursor to the beginning of the next line, ensuring the pattern is printed row by row.

When rows is 8, the program creates an $8 \times 8$ grid. Asterisks are printed where i == j or i + j == 7.

The complete output for rows = 8 is:

Enter number of rows
8
*      *
 *    *
  *  *
   **
   **
  *  *
 *    *
*      *