The C Programming Language - Compiling; Data Types; Identifier Naming Flashcards
Source program/file
A sequence of bytes.
Byte
Bit
The smallest unit of data that can be stored by a computer; it is another name for binary digit, as it represents a logical value in the form of a numerical - ‘0’ or ‘1’
Text file
Files that store data in the form of a sequence of ASCII characters
Binary file
Files that store data in binary form
Describe the representation of info in a system
All information in a system is represented in the form of bits. However, the context is a key factor in distinguishing between different data objects.
object code
A sequence of low-level machine-language instructions in binary form
Compiler driver/compilation system
Software that translates a source file to an object file. It is composed of four programs, namely preprocessor, compiler, assembler, and linker.
Define the four phases of the compilation process/name the four programs that make up the compilation system
PCAL - preprocess, compile, assemble, link
Define the preprocessing phase of the compilation process/the function of the preprocessor program
The preprocessor (ccp) modifies the original source code/.c file by following directives that begin with the ‘#’ character (#include, #define for e.g.) and removing comments. This typically results in the C program being converted into a .i file
.i file
An output file of the preprocessor
Define the function of the #include <header file> directive
include instructs the preprocessor to read the contents of the given file into the source program/file/code.
Define the compiling phase of the compilation process/the function of the compiler program
The compiler (cc1) parses the syntaxes of the preprocessed code (.i file) into an assembly language program/file; it converts the .i file into a .s file.
Assembly code
A sequence of low-level machine language instructions written in textual form; an intermediary between textual code and machine/binary code; stored in a .s file/program.
Define the assembly phase of the compilation process/the function of the assembler program
The assembler parses the assembly-language program (.s file) into a relocatable object program/file. It stores the resulting code into a .o file. The assembly code is converted into object code, i.e. low-level machine language instructions in binary form.