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<title>Glossary of C terms.</title>
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<h1>Glossary of C terms.</h1>
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<! Spell checked on 5-Feb-95 >
<dl>
<a name="address">
<dt>Address.
<dd>Reference to a memory location.
In C <a href="#pointer">pointers</a> are used to hold addresses.
<p>
<a name=ansi>
<dt>ANSI
<dd>American
<p>
<a name=api>
<dt>API
<dd>Application Programming Interface
<p>
<dt><a href="SYNTAX/functions.html">Argument.</a>
<dd>A value passed to a <a href="SYNTAX/functions.html">function</a>
(see <a href="#parameter">parameter</a>).
<p>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#baseclass">Base Class</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<a name=block>
<dt><a href="SYNTAX/statements.html#block">Block.</a>
<dd>A sequence of
<a href="#definition">definitions</a>,
<a href="#declaration">declarations</a> and
<a href="SYNTAX/statements.html">statements,</a>
enclosed within braces {}.<p>
<dt><a href="CONCEPT/arrays.html#char">Character Array.</a>
<dd>A set of elements of type
<a href="CONCEPT/arrays.html#char">char</a>. (Can be used to store a
<a href="#string">string</a>).<p>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#class">Class</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<dt>Compilation error.
<dd>Error which occurs during the translation of source code into machine
code.<p>
<dt>Compiler.
<dd>A program which converts source code into machine code.<p>
<dt>Compound Statement.
<dd>A sequence of simple statements.<p>
<dt><a href="CONCEPT/constants.html">Constant</a> (common all garden)
<dd>An item that represents a value that cannot be changed.
For Example:
<pre>
123
'x'
</pre>
<dt>Constant (symbolic)
<dd>A symbol defined in a <a href="SYNTAX/define_preprocessor.html">#define</a>
preprocessor directive to represent
a constant value.<p>
<dt><a href="CONCEPT/data_types.html">Data type</a>.
<dd>Definition of the data. <i>int, char, float.</i><p>
<a name=declaration>
<! THIS IS CORRECT>
<dt>Declaration.
<dd>A construct which associates attributes to a variable name
or function.<br>
No storage is reserved.<p>
For example:
<pre>
extrn int a;
extrn char c;
</pre>
<a href="SYNTAX/glo_int_vars.html">variable declaration</a><p>
A structure decleration could look like:
<pre>
struct per_rec
{
int age;
char *surname;
char *firstname;
};
</pre>
<p>
<a name=definition>
<! THIS IS CORRECT>
<dt>Definition.
<ol>
<li>Variable definition is a declaration with storage allocation.<p>
<pre>
int a;
char c;
struct per_rec person;
</pre>
<li>A construct which specifies the name,parameters and return type
of a function.<br>
For example a function definition would be:
<pre>
long sqr(int num)
{
return(num*num);
}
</pre>
</ol>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#derivedclass">Derived Class</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<a name="encapsulation">
<font color="brown">
<dt>Encapsulation.
<dd>The C++ concept of grouping related variables and
controlling the operations performed apon them. The
encapsulated variables can be considered to be
contained in their own environment.
</font>
<p>
<dt><a href="FUNCTIONS/escape.html">Escape sequence</a>.
<dd>Control codes comprising combinations of a backslash followed by
letters or digits which represent non printing characters.<p>
<dt>Executable program.
<dd>Program which will run in the environment of the operating system
or within an appropriate run time environment.<p>
<dt>Executable (stand-alone) program.
<dd>Program which will run within the environment of the operating system
without additional utilities or support.<p>
<dt><a href="CONCEPT/expressions.html">Expression.</a>
<dd>A sequence of operators and operands which may yield a single value.<p>
<dt>File.
<dd>Data stored as an electronic file.<p>
<a name=filedes>
<dt>File descriptor.
<dd>This is used in
<a href="MISC/io.html#low">low level I/O</a>
(open/read/write/close functions) to
identify a file. It is an integer number assigned to a file name
by open and then used as a unique identifier by
read/write and close.
<p>
<dt>Floating-point Number.
<dd>Number having a decimal place or exponent.<p>
<dt>Format specification.
<dd>A string which controls how input or output shall be presented.<p>
<dt>Identifier.
<dd>The names used to refer to stored data values such as <i>constants,
variables</i> or <i>functions</i>.
<dt>Integer.
<dd>A number without a fractional part.<p>
<a name=keyword>
<dt><a href="SYNTAX/keywords.html">Keyword.</a>
<dd>A word which has a predefined meaning to a 'C' compiler and therefore
must not be used for any other purpose.<p>
<dt><a href="LIBRARIES/libraries.html">library file</a>.
<dd>The file which contains compiled versions of commonly used functions
which can be linked to an object file to make an executable program.<p>
<dt>Library function.
<dd>A function whose code is contained in the external <i>library file</i>.
<dt>Line.
<dd>One line of input from the standard input device (keyboard) which is
terminated with a newline character. The newline character is replaced by a
null character.<p>
<dt>Literal.
<dd>Characters, letters or
<a href="#string">strings</a>
which are to be taken literally and used
as constants rather than identifiers.<p>
<font color=brown>
<a name=method>
<dt>Method.
<dd>C++ talk meaning a member function of a class.
</font>
<p>
<a name=class_object>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#object">Object</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<a name=object>
<dt>Object Code.
<dd>Code which is directly understandable by the machine (machine code).<p>
<a name=operand>
<dt>Operand.
<dd>An expression acted on by an operator. For example:
<pre>
z = a + b;
</pre>
<i>a</i> and <i>b</i> are both operands of the <i>+</i> operator.
<a name=parameter>
<dt>Parameter.
<dd>A value received by a <i>function</i>.<p>
<a name=pointer>
<dt><a href="CONCEPT/pointers.html">Pointer.</a>
<dd>Variable containing an address.
<p>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#polymorphism">Polymorphism</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<a name=posix>
<dt>POSIX
<dd>Portable Operating System Interface.
<p>
<dt><a href="CONCEPT/precedence.html">Precedence</a>
(of <a href="CONCEPT/expressions.html">operators</a>)
<dd>The order in which operators are dealt with during the evaluation
of an expression.<p>
<dt><a href="SYNTAX/preprocessors.html">Preprocessor</a>.
<dd>A processor which manipulates the initial directives of the source file
which contains instructions about how the source file shall be processed
and compiled.<p>
<dt>Preprocessor directive.
<dd>Source file instruction about how the file shall be processed and
compiled.<p>
<dt>Program.
<dd>A text file comprising code which can be compiled.<p>
<dt>Run time error.
<dd>An error which occurs when a program is executed.<p>
<dt>Reserved word. <a href="SYNTAX/keywords.html">(keyword)</a>
<dd>A word which has a predefined meaning to a 'C' compiler and therefore
must not be used for any other purpose.<p>
<a name=scope>
<dt>Scope.
<dd><p>
<dt>Source code.
<dd>A text file comprising code which can be compiled.<p>
<dt>Statement.
<dd>A simple statement is an <i>expression</i> followed by a semicolon.
(See compound statement and <a href="#block">block</a>).<p>
<a name=string>
<dt>String.
<dd>A string in 'C' is an array of characters terminated by a
<a href="SYNTAX/null.html">Null</a> character
('\0').
<p>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#derivedclass">SubClass</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<dt><a href="../CPLUSPLUS/glossary.html#baseclass">SuperClass</a>
<dd><font color=brown>See C++ glossary.</font>
<p>
<dt>Syntax error.
<dd>A mistake in the source code which prevents the compiler from converting
it into <a href="#object">object code</a>.<p>
<a name="threads">
<dt>Threads.
<dd>A process has five fundamental parts: code ("text"), data (VM),
stack, file I/O, and signal tables. Theads are spawned from a process
and can share these parts to comunicate with each other.
<p>
The traditional method of spawning processes (<a href="FUNCTIONS/fork.html">fork</a>) could only communicate
with other forked processes via pipes and and "shared memory". The result is
threads can communicate easily and have a low CPU overhead.
<p>
<dt>Variable.
<dd>An identifier (and storage) for a
<a href="CONCEPT/data_types.html">data type </a>
and for which the data value
is allowed to change as the program runs.<p>
<dt>
<p>
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<address>Martin Leslie
</address><p>
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