AACS1074 Programming Concepts and Design I

Chapter 1: Introduction to C

Chapter 1: Introduction to C
Chapter Outline: 1.1 Introduction to Computers 1.2 Computer Languages 1.3 Introduction to C 1.4 Program Development

1.1

Introduction to Computers
Computer System

Hardware

Software

System Software

Application Software

Operating System

System Support Software

System Development Software

GeneralPurpose Software

ApplicationSpecific Software

Figure 1.1: Overview of computer system

A computer is a system made up of two major components: o Hardware, the physical equipment. o Software, the collection of programs (instructions) that tell the hardware how to perform tasks. Computer software is divided into two broad categories: o System software, which manages the computer resources. o Application software, which helps users solve their problems. System software consists of: o Operating system o System support software o System development software Application software is divided into: o General-purpose software o Application-specific software

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

1.2

Computer Languages Computers understand only machine language, which consists of 0s and 1s. The evolution of computer languages is as follows: Uses binary codes (0s and 1s). The only language that computers can understand. No translation required. Platform-dependent and very hard to program. Uses symbolic instruction codes and mnemonics (meaningful abbreviations). Source program has to be translated to machine language using an assembler. Platform-dependent but easier to program. E.g. MASM 6.15, Turbo Assembler, etc. Uses English-like instruction codes and mathematical operators. Source program has to be translated to machine language using a compiler or interpreter. With a compiler (see Figure 1.2), the source program is converted into a machine language object program. If the compiler encounters any errors, it will be shown as a program error listing. When the user wants to run the program, the object program is loaded into the computer memory and the program instructions are executed. Platform-independent and very easy to program. E.g. C, Pascal, Cobol, etc.

First Generation: Machine Language

Second Generation: Symbolic Language/ Assembly Language

Third Generation: High-level Language/ Procedural Language

Source Program

Compiler

Object Program

Results

Program Error Listing

Data

Figure 1.2: Compiling and running a program

1.3

Introduction to C C is a general-purpose, structured programming language. Can be used for systems programming and application programming.

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AACS1074 Programming Concepts and Design I

Chapter 1: Introduction to C

C has a large number of operators and library functions and allows the user to extend on the library. C programs are portable. They can be processed on many different computers with no or little alterations. Developed in 1970s by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Telephone Lab. Inc. Originated from BCPL (Basic Combined Programming Language). ANSI (American National Standards Institute) developed a standardized definition of C language that all commercial C compilers and interpreters adhere to this standard.

Exercise 1.1: 1. Start Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 as instructed by your instructor. Follow the instructions to create a new source program named Hello.c. 2. Type in the following source code:
Include the necessary library file. The printf() function needs <stdio.h>.

Every C program must have the main() function. The printf() function prints the text on the screen.

#include <stdio.h> int main(void) { printf("Hello World!\n"); return 0; }

Statements/commands are written within the body of function, as indicated by a pair of braces, the { and } symbols.

3. Compile the program. If there are errors, verify and correct them. Compile the program again, until there is no error. 4. Build and execute the program. Finish your task by closing the project workspace. Exercise 1.2: Create a new program to print the following output:
Welcome, welcome all of you Glad you are with us Shake hands, no need to be blue Welcome to you!

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

1.4

Program Development An old programming proverb: Resist the temptation to code. A multi-steps process that requires you to: 1. Understand the problem 2. Develop a solution 3. Write the program 4. Test the program To develop the solution, the following tools are normally used: o Structure charts o Pseudocode or flowcharts Structure chart: o A hierarchy chart that shows the functional flow through the program. o Shows how the program is broken into logical steps. Each step will be a separate module. Pseudocode: o A condensed form of English to convey program logic. o Contains the detailed steps to accomplish the task. o The detailed algorithm in the pseudocode is precise, such that the programmer can convert the pseudocode into a computer program. o Algorithm, the logical steps necessary to solve a problem in a computer. Flowchart: o A program design tool in which standard graphical symbols (refer to Appendix 1) are used to represent the logical flow of data through a function.

Example 1.1: You would like to install new floor covering in your home and would like to calculate the cost that would be involved. Your plan is as follows: o Only the living space will be carpeted. The garage and closets will not be considered. o The kitchen and bathrooms will be covered with linoleum. The rest of the house is to be carpeted. You need a computer program to compute the flooring cost. How can you approach this problem? Divide and Conquer! a) Break down the tasks into a few big subtasks. b) Decompose each big subtask into smaller subtasks. c) Further break down each smaller subtask into even smaller subtasks. d) Eventually the subtasks become so small that they are trivial to implement in C language. A.k.a. stepwise refinement or top-down design. Use a structure chart to represent the division of task into subtasks, smaller subtasks and even smaller subtasks (see Figure 1.3).

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

Figure 1.3: Structure chart

For each module, use pseudocode (see Figure 1.4) or a flowchart (see Figure 1.5) to specify the steps to be followed (algorithm) in order to accomplish the task.

Figure 1.4: Pseudocode for calcBathRooms module

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

Start of calcBathRooms module.

calcBathRooms

Read linoPrice

Set the values of bathArea and bathProc to 0.

Read numBath

Read linoleum price and number of bathrooms from user. The values are represented as linoPrice and numBath.

bathArea = 0 bathProc = 0

While there are still any bathrooms need to be process

No

bathPro < numBath

Yes

Read bathLength Read the length and width of bathroom.

Read bathWidth Accumulate the total area of bathrooms.

bathArea = bathArea + (bathLength * bathWidth)

bathProc = bathProc + 1

One more bathroom has been processed. So add 1 to the counter bathProc.

Calculate cost of linoleum based on the total bathrooms area and linoleum price.

linoCost = bathArea * linoPrice

End of calcBathRooms module

Return

Figure 1.5: Flowchart for calcBathRooms module

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

Review: Steps for program development include: 1. Understand the problem 2. Develop a solution a) Design the program: structure chart. b) Design the algorithms: flowchart or pseudocode. 3. Write the program 4. Test the program

Example 1.2: Problem: Calculate the sum of two numbers. a) Design the solution using a structure chart. b) Normally, each module in the structure chart would have its own pseudocode. However, as this is your first attempt and this is a pretty easy problem, write the pseudocode to solve this entire problem. c) Draw the flowchart to represent the program logic for this problem. Hint: The general algorithm for a programming problem is normally: 1. Get the data 2. Perform the computations 3. Display the results
Sum Two Numbers

Get User Input

Calculate Sum

Display Sum

Figure 1.6: Structure chart for calculate the sum of two numbers

Start the pseudocode with the words start, begin, etc.

Use English words to describe the algorithms in steps.

Start 1. 2. 3. 4. End

Prompt and read number1 Prompt and read number2 sum = number1 + number2 Display sum

Numberings are optional.

End the pseudocode with the words end, stop, etc.

Figure 1.7: Pseudocode for calculate the sum of two numbers

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

Use terminal symbol to indicate the start of a flowchart. Write start, begin, etc in the symbol.

Start

Read number1 Use input/output symbol for reading and displaying of data values.

Read number2 Use processing symbol for calculations.

sum = number1 + number2

Display sum

End

Use terminal symbol to indicate the end of a flowchart. Write end, stop, etc in the symbol.

Figure 1.8: Flowchart for calculates the sum of two numbers

#include <stdio.h> int main(void) { int number1, number2, sum; printf("Enter 1st number > "); scanf("%d", &number1); printf("Enter 2nd number > "); scanf("%d", &number2); sum = number1 + number2;
Calculate the sum. Prompt and read the 1st number from user.

Prompt and read the 2nd number from user.

printf("Result = %d\n", sum); return 0; }

Display the sum.

Figure 1.9: C program for calculates the sum of two numbers

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Chapter 1: Introduction to C

Appendix 1
(A) Flowchart A flowchart is a pictorial representation of the logical steps it takes to solve a problem. Almost every program involves the steps of input, processing, & output. When you create a flowchart, you draw geometric shapes around the individual statements and connect them with arrows.

Input/Output

Processing

Module

Terminal

Decision

Flowlines

On-page Connector

Off-page Connector

Figure 1.10: Symbols used in flowcharting

Arithmetic operation statements are examples of processing. To show the correct sequence of these statements, use flowlines to connect the steps. To be complete, a flowchart should include a terminal (start/stop) symbol at each end. Use connector when a flowchart cannot physically fit on one page. The letters or numbers on the connectors match up so you can determine the next step in the flowchart. The off-page connector can be used when the flowchart is at the bottom of a page and must be continued on a new page. As with the on-page connector, the off-page connector has a symbol in it (a letter or number) and connects with another connector on a different page with the same symbol. Pseudocode

(B)

Pseudocode is an English-like representation of the same thing. Statements are written in simple English. Each instruction is written on a separate line. Keywords and indention are used to signify particular control structures.

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Each set of instructions is written from top to bottom, with only one entry and one exit. Groups of statements may be formed into modules, and that group given a name.

Exercise 1.3: By using structure chart, pseudocode and flowchart, design the solution for a program that reads three (3) numbers from user, calculates their total and average, and displays the calculated total and average on the screen.

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