COMP1850 Lecture 5.1 C Arrays and Dynamic Memory Allocation

Flashcards covering arrays, memory allocation, and strings in C.

Array

Collection of a primitive data type in C.

Statically typed arrays

Arrays where the array can only store one type of data.

Stack Memory

Memory reserved for static program data, managed by the compiler, and a last-in-first-out (LIFO) data structure.

Heap Memory

Memory available for dynamic program data, accessed through pointers, and a flexible unordered address space.

For loops

Operating on arrays requires us to iterate through the data structure

Zero

Arrays and other variables are not automatically initialised to _ in C.

Inline

C allows definition and initialisation of arrays _, similarly to primitive data types.

Matrix

A 2-dimensional array.

Right-most

For high-performance applications it is important to access arrays such that the _ index varies fastest.

String

An array of char type with an additional null character ('\0') that signifies the end of the string.

The C library that defines common string handling operations.

Static arrays

Arrays allocated at compile-time using stack memory.

Variable-length arrays (VLAs)

A C99+ language feature using stack memory, not resizeable once allocated.

Dynamic arrays

Original language feature using heap memory.

Pointer

A data type that can store a memory address.

malloc

C standard library utility functions: Allocate an item of given type.

calloc

C standard library utility functions: Allocate an array of a given type.

free

C standard library utility functions: Release allocated memory.

sizeof()

A portable way of calculating the correct amount of memory, which uses the locally defined amounts for that machine.

realloc()

The standard library utility for resizing allocated memory.

Garbage collection

The concept where many languages allocate and deallocate (free) dynamic memory silently.

Array-pointer duality

The properties where arrays and pointers are closely linked in C.