Advanced Programming Tools and Techniques(CS 265/CS 571)

Course Description

Introduction to the basic principles of programming practice: testing, debugging, portability, performance, design alternatives, and style. Application in a variety of programming languages, programming environments, and operating systems. Introduction to tools used in the software development process for improving program functionality, performance, and robustness.

Course Goals

To provide students with the skills needed to effectively design, develop, implement, debug, test, and maintain programs and more generally to solve problems using a computer. The course will teach these skills through the use of different programming languages, tools, and environments, though the general principles are independent of any particular language, tool, or environment. General themes include clarity, simplicity, generality, and automation.

Course Objectives

• To effectively use the Unix programming environment - shell, file system, scripts, regular expressions, filters, program development tools.
• To use scripting languages, such as Awk or Perl, to automate tasks and write simple programs.
• To develop good programming style, organization, interface, and documentation habits.
• To use effective procedures and tools for building, debugging, testing, tuning, and maintaining programs.
• To be comfortable using and learning different programming languages (C, C++, Java, Perl) and choosing the appropriate one for a given task.
• To use tools and write programs to assist in developing programs.

Audience

This is a required sophomore level course for Computer Science students. A graduate version of the course is available as a pre-core course for those students who are not sufficiently comfortable developing, debugging, testing, tuning, and porting programs.

Prerequisites

Students should have some programming experience (CS 172 or equivalent)

Instructors

Jeremy Johnson

Office: 100 University Crossings
phone: (215) 895-2669
e-mail: jjohnson@cs.drexel.edu
office hours: Monday 4:30-7, T 4-6, W 1-2. Additional hours by appointment.

Kurt Schmidt

Office: 105 University Crossings
phone: (215) 895-1848
e-mail: kschmidt@cs.drexel.edu
office hours: MWF 2-3 and W 5-6.

TAs

Jie Li

Office: 147 Univ. Crossings (CS Student Resource Center)
e-mail: jie.li@drexel.edu
office hours: Friday 1-2.

Servesh Tiwari

Office: 149 Univ. Crossings (CS Student Resource Center)
e-mail: servesh.tiwari@drexel.edu
office hours: Thursday 1-2.

Meeting Times

T 6:00-9:00 in University Crossings 149

Course Mailing List

cs-265@cs.drexel.edu

Please use this list for questions and discussions related to the course. If you know the answer to someone's question, please feel free to jump in, as long as well it is not an answer to a homework problem. I will moderate the list so that frivolous mail and spam is not forwarded.

Textbook

Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike, The Practice of Programming, Addison-Wesley, 1999.

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Topics

1. The Unix Programming Environment - basic commands, editor, shell, file system, filters.
2. Program development tools - context sensitive editor, make, cvs, debugger.
3. Scripting languages - Awk, Perl.
4. Programming style and Interfaces.
5. Design and implementation (C, C++, Java)
6. Testing and debugging programs.
7. Performance and portability.
8. Metaprogramming - notation, macros, templates, little languages.

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Grading

1. Four Programming Assignments (40%)
2. Four Quizzes (40%) - student's may drop one quiz score
3. Final Project (20%)

See the course schedule for quiz times and assignment due dates.

Assignments and exams will be returned on a regular basis to provide feedback to students. All students must do their own work, unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any violation of this will result in a zero grade for the assignment. A second violation may lead to an F for the course.

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Resources

Reference Books

Many of these books can be accessed from Safari.

1. Awk
2. Bash
3. C
4. C++ and STL
5. Java
6. Perl
7. Unix
8. General Topics of Interest

Web Pages

1. Awk
2. Bash
3. C
   • C.ppt and C.pdf -lecture notes on C.
4. C++ and STL
   • STL Tutorial Resources at Rensselaer
   • Standard Template Library Programmer's Guide
   • Phil Ottewell's STL Tutorial
5. Java
   • java.sun.com

   Prof. Zaychik's notes

   PDF: lec 1, lec 2, lec 3 PPT: lec 1, lec 2, lec 3

6. Perl
   • perl.ppt and perl.pdf -lecture notes on perl.
7. Unix
8. General Topics of Interest
   • The make utility

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Look Here for Important Announcements

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Lectures

1. Week 1
1. Jan. 4, 2005 (Unix Programming Environment)
2. Week 2
1. Jan. 11, 2005 (Shell Games)
3. Week 3
1. Jan. 18, 2005 (Programming Style)
4. Week 4
1. Jan. 25, 2005 (Algorithms and Data Structures)
5. Week 5
1. Oct. 26, 2005 (Design and Implementation)
6. Week 6
1. Nov. 2, 2005 (Design and Implementation)
7. Week 7
1. Nov. 9, 2005 (Interfaces)
8. Week 8
1. Nov. 16, 2005 (Debugging and Testing)
9. Week 9
1. Nov. 23, 2005 (Performance and Portability)
10. Week 10
1. Nov. 30, 2005 (Metaprogramming)

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Programs and Worksheets

• Awk
• Bash
• C
  • A Sample helloWorld program with instructions to compile and run in unix environment.
  • Sample file input (fgets, sscanf, argc, argv, fprintf)
• C++
  • A Sample helloWorld program with instructions to compile and run in unix environment.
  • An example of using vectors, lists, and maps
• Java
  • A Sample helloWorld program with instructions to compile and run in unix environment.
  • Sample file input (FileInputStream, InputStreamReader, BufferedReader)
• Perl
  • A Sample helloWorld program with instructions to run in unix environment.

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Assignments and Quizzes

• Submitting Assignments
• Assignment 1 Practice - this assignment is to set up your Unix environment, get used to using Unix, and an editor. You should do this as soon as possible. There is nothing to hand in, though I expect everyone to do this or they will have problems down the road.
• Assignment 1 - due Sunday Jan. 23 at 11:55 pm (no late assignments accepted).
• Assignment 2 - due Friday Feb. 11 at 11:55 pm.
• Assignment 3 - due Wed. Mar. 2 at 9:00 am.
• Assignment 4 - due Friday May 11 at 11:55 pm.
• Final Project - due Tuesday March 15 by 11:55 pm.
• Quiz 1 Study Guide Tue. and Wed. Jan. 25-26.
• Quiz 2 Study Guide Tue. and Wed. Feb. 8-9.
• Quiz 3 Study Guide Tue. and Wed. Feb. 22-23.
• Quiz 4 Study Guide Tue. and Wed. Mar. 8-9.

Solutions

• Assignment 1
• Assignment 2