Lesson 5: Writing and compiling a program

5.1. Introduction
In our last lesson we discussed about programming languages and programming tools. In this lesson,
you will be introduced to programming using c. The programming process begins with the creation
of a text file which contains the statements of the program in a programming language. (This source
file is a text file, usually ASCII, which can be produced with a text editor, such as Windows
notepad, or in an Integrated Design Environment.) This source file is then processed by a special
program called a compiler. Each programming language has its own compiler, and the compiler
must be matched to the hardware and operating system that the new program will run on.
5.2. Objective of the lesson
By the end of this lesson the learner will be able to:
 Describe the procedure of writing, compiling and building a program in c.
 Describe the general structure of a c program.
 Describe program errors.
5.3. Lesson outline
This lesson is structured as follows;
5.1. Introduction
5.2. Lesson objectives
5.3. Lesson outline
5.4. Types of c files
5.5. Preprocessors
5.6. Steps for writing and compiling c program
5.7. Program structure
5.8. Testing vs debugging
5.9. Types of errors
5.10. Revision questions
5.11. Summary
5.12. Suggested reading
5.4. Types of files
Writing and compiling C programs requires four kinds of files:
[i]. Source code files. These files contain function definitions, and have names which end in .c
extension.
[ii]. Header files. These files contain function declarations (function prototypes) and various
preprocessor statements. They are used to allow source code files to access
externallydefined functions. Header files end in .h extension.
[iii]. Object files. These files are produced as the output of the compiler. They consist of
function definitions in binary form, but they are not executable by themselves.
Object files often end in .obj.

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[iv]. Binary executables. These are files produced as the output of a program called a linker.
The linker links together a number of object files to produce a binary file which can be
directly execute.

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5.5. Preprocessors
The first step of the compile process is a special preprocessor program. The preprocessor
program reads the source file as text, and produces another text file as output. The preprocessor
makes substitutions of one character string for another, substitutes the text of a header file for
#include statements, and even expands some function calls into other text. The substitutions
can be conditional. The output of the preprocessor is a text file which does not contain any
preprocessor statements, which is ready to be processed by the C compiler itself. Examples of
preprocessors.
#define : Substitutes a preprocessor macro.
#include : Inserts a particular header from another file.
#undef: Undefines a preprocessor macro.
#ifdef: Returns true if this macro is defined.
5.6. Steps for writing and compiling c
program Developing a program in c involves
four major steps:

Step 1: Writing the code

Use an editor to write the source code. Save the source code files with .c extension .For
example, myprog.c, database.c, and so on.

Step 2: Compile the source code.

Compile the program using a compiler. If the compiler doesn't find any errors in the
program, it produces an object file. The compiler produces object files with an .obj
extension and the same name as the source code file for example, myprog.c compiles to
myprog.obj). If the compiler finds errors, it reports them. If errors are reported return
to step 1 to make corrections in the source code.

Step 3: Linking the program

Link the program using a linker. If no errors occur, the linker produces an executable
program located in a disk file with an .exe extension and the same name as the object file for
example; myprog.obj is linked to create myprog.exe. If errors are reported return to step 1 to
make corrections in the source code.

Step 4: Execute the program.

 Test the program to determine whether it functions properly. If not, start
again with step 1 and make modifications and additions to the source code.
Flow chart: Writing and compiling c program

5.7. Program structure in c A program in c

has the following components:

[a]. #include <stdio.h> : This is the first line of the program. It is a preprocessor command which
directs the compiler to include stdio.h file before actual compilation.
[b]. main(): The main function is where program execution begins.
[c]. Comment(s): Any statement enclosed by /*...*/ will be ignored by the compiler and is put to add
additional comments in the program.
[d]. {} : The opening and closing braces are used to enclose a function block in this case main.
[e]. printf(...) : This library function available in C which prints(outputs) string on the screen.
[f]. Scanf(…): This library function available in C which takes(input) from the user e.g. through the
keyboard.
[g]. Statement(s): It is a complete instruction that directs the computer to carry out some [h].
task. In c tatements always end with a semicolon (except for preprocessor directives such as
#define and #include).
[i]. return 0; terminates main()function and returns the value 0 to the operating system.
Example:
/*Program to add two numbers and display the sum*/
#include<stdio.h>
int main()
{
int a,b,sum; /*Declare variable*/
printf(“Please the enter value of a: \n”);
scanf(“%d”,&a); printf(“Please enter
the value of b: \n”);
scanf(“%d”,&b);
sum=a+b;
printf(“The sum of %d and %d is %d. \n”,a,b,sum);
return 0;
}
5.8. Testing and debugging
Testing is a process of finding defects in the code or finding if the program does what it is supposed
to do. Debugging is the process of finding and removing a specific bug(s)/error(s) from the program.
Testing process can be manual or automated but debugging is always manual.
Example: Debugging
The program tre.c is being compiled. During compilation an error was detected and so the object file
could not be formed. The error is in line 9 , a syntax error which is a missing ;
 DIT 305: PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGY

Example: Testing
Even after debugging, the program must be run and different values of a and b entered to see if
it actually calculates the sum as expected.
See the output when
testing Please the enter
value of a:
3
Please enter the value of b:
45
The sum of 3 and 45 is 48.
Press any key to continue
5.9. Types of errors
In programming, an error also known as a bug is a mistake or omission that may prevent the
program from compiling and running correctly as per the expectation of the programmer.
There are three types of errors in programming:
[i]. Runtime Errors
[ii]. Compile Errors
[iii]. Logical Errors

[a]. Runtime Errors

These are errors that occur during the execution of a program. Generally these errors occur
due to some illegal operation performed in the program. These errors may stop program
execution.
Some illegal operations that may produce runtime errors are:
• Dividing a number by zero
• Trying to open a nonexistent file
• Lack of free memory space
[b]. Compile Errors
Compile errors are those errors that occur at the time of compilation of the program. These
errors may be further classified as:
[i]. Syntax Errors
These are errors detected during compile time when the rules of the programming language are
not followed.
• Example int a, b:

The above statement in a c program will produce syntax error as the statement is terminated
with:
rather than;
[ii]. Semantic Errors
These are errors reported by the compiler when the statements written in the program are not
meaningful to the compiler. Usually arise from wrongly typed expressions and formulas.
• Example a+b=c;
In the above statement we are trying to assign value of c in the value obtained by summation of
a and b which has no meaning in a program in c. The correct statement will be c=a+b;
[iii]. Linker errors
These are errors reported when an executable file of the program cannot be generated. This
may due to wrong function prototyping, incorrect header files. These errors are not easy to
detect.
#include<math>
Math file cannot be located in any directory and so the program will throw an
error.
[c]. Logical Errors
These are the errors in the output of the program. The presence of logical errors leads to
undesired or incorrect output and are caused due to error in the logic applied in the program
to produce the desired output. These errors may not be detected by the compiler and so the
programmer has to check the entire coding of the program line by line.
5.10. Revision questions
a) Explain the possible causes of the following errors in a program.
 i). Syntax error
ii). Semantic error
iii). Logic error
iv). Linker error.
b) Study the c program below, identify and correct any errors noted.
#include <stdio.h>
main()
{
float x y, sum; printf(Enter the
value of x:\n"); scanf("%d",x);
printf("Enter the value of
y:\n"); scanf("%d",y); x+y=sum;
printf("The sum of x and y is: %d\n",sum);

c) A program errors can be syntax, logic , linker or semantic errors. Classify the following errors.
i). An indefinite loop
ii). Misspelling keywords
iii). Dividing a number zero iv).
Using undeclared variable. v).
Misspelling function name.
d) Describe the following files as used in a c program.
i). Source code file ii).
Object file iii).
Binary
executable file
iv). Header files. [4 Marks]
e) Describe the process of writing and compiling a c program. [4 Marks]
f) Discuss the following program errors, give an example in each case.
i). Logical error
ii). Run time error
iii). Compile error. [6 Marks]
g) Briefly explain the following files which were observed when compiling a program in c.
i). hello.c
ii). hello.obj or hello.o
iii). hello.exe
 [3 Marks]
h) When compiling a program in c, Susan, a Bsc IT student in KCAU observed an error thrown
by the compiler as follows:
nice.c(8) : error C2143: syntax error : missing ';' before ':'

Identify and explain all the information provided in this error message. [4 Mark]
5.11. Summary
In this lesson we have discussed how we can write, compile, debug, run and test a c program.
We have also described important files in c. Finally we have identified and discussed common
program errors.
5.12. Suggested reading
[1]. An introduction to programming by Wu Thomas, Norman and Theodore: McGrill (1997).
[2]. C programming language by Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis Ritchie, 2nd ed: prentice hall(2003).
[3]. C how to program by H.M. Deitel and P.J.Deitel, 3rd ed: Prentice hall(2001).