Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives At the completion of this subject students should know and understand programming principles, including sequence of control mechanisms, modularity, parameter passing, file handling techniques, indirect addressing and use of variable scoping; know about data structures, understand how to select them appropriately, and be able to use them as part of programming solutions to client information systems problems; and be able to implement the programming principles through C programming in a UNIX environment.
Synopsis Features of C programming: the pre-processor, scope, lifetime and storage class of variables, advanced use of pointers, uses of recursion, command line arguments, memory allocation, bit operators. Data structures: arrays, alternative array notations, initialising arrays, pointer arithmetic with arrays, arrays and functions. Strings: storing strings, pointers to char, terminating strings, string functions, arrays of strings, arrays of pointers to char, pointer to array of pointers to char, recursion and strings. Structures and unions. Linked lists. Stacks and queues. Binary trees. File handling: character, line, formatted and record input/output, random access. Programming in a UNIX environment: using the UNIX operating system; logging on/off, directories, creating, copying, removing files, file access, use of editors, multifile programs, screen handling in C programs. Redirecting program input/output to/from files and/or other programs. System calls from within programs, making screen output available to programs, creating parallel processes.
Assessment Examination: 40% + Unit test: 20% + Practical work: 40%