Intro C: Study Guide
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LINUX commands

Computer systems

Hardware: input devices, output devices, CPU, primary storage, secondary storage

Software: system, application

Types: PC vs. timeshare vs. client-server

Languages

Natural (can't do yet)

High-level (needs compiler to translate)

Symbolic/assembly (needs assembler to translate)

Machine

Compiling

Translating high-level code understandable by human who knows the language into machine code (object code) for a particular architecture of machine

Process of writing a program

1. Write/edit the code

2. Compile/Link

    if syntax errors, go back to 1.

3. Execute

    if logical (semantic) errors, go back to 1.

Software life cycle

System requirements

Analysis: first pass of stepwise refinement

Design

    algorithm, pseudocode

    structure, IPO chart

Implementation

Testing: whitebox and blackbox

Maintenance

Structure of a C program

Preprocessor directives

Global declarations

User-defined functions

Structure of a function: declaration (prototype) and definition

type fnname(parameter list);    // prototype

type fnname(parameter list)    // definition

{

    local definitions/declarations

    statements

}

Standard data types

void, char, int, float

Extended data types

unsigned char

short    unsigned short

unsigned int

long    unsigned long

double

long double

bool

Range of values stored in integer (including char) types

Number of bytes per type

signed vs. unsigned

N bits signed: -2^(n-1) to (2^(n-1) - 1)

N bits unsigned: 0 to (2^n - 1)

IEEE floating point standards

Number of bytes per type

What bits assigned

Approximately how much precision per float and double

Type conversions

Mixed-type expressions

Implicit vs. explicit conversions

Assignment conversion

Arithmetic promotion

Cast

Promotion hierarchy

Comments

Purpose

Program comments, function comments, section comments, line-by-line

Tokens

Identifiers

Keywords (reserved words)

Operators

Punctuators

Constants: literals, defined

Start- and end-of-comment

I/O

printf(control string, optional list of substitution parameters)

    % flag fieldwidth precision conversioncode    (italics indicate optional)

scanf(control string, list of parameters)

    conversion codes only in control string, no spaces, punct, or text

Miscellaneous code topics

Variables: how to declare, initialization, assignment

Scope of variables

Expressions and statements

Operators

Arithmetic: + - * / (integer and float) %

Assignment: =

Compound assignment:     +=    -=    *=    /=    %=

Increment/Decrement: ++    --(prefix and postfix)

Address: &

(cast)

Precedence and associativity

Concepts of programming

Structured programming: 3 basic control structures (sequence, including fn calls, selection, repetition)

Programming objectives (measures of quality)

Readability

Maintainability

Modularity

Portability

Robustness

Miscellaneous topics
Local vs. global variables

Builtin vs. user-defined functions

Formal vs. actual parameters

Ways to implement constants

Literals

Defined

Miscellaneous code topics

Scope of variables

Compound statements/blocks