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An In-Depth Understanding of Memory and Pointers in C

Delve into pointers and memory in C, exploring memory management, arrays, strings, functions, dynamic memory, structures, and linked lists to write efficient, effective code.

Beginner

106 Lessons

20h

Certificate of Completion

Delve into pointers and memory in C, exploring memory management, arrays, strings, functions, dynamic memory, structures, and linked lists to write efficient, effective code.

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This course includes

3 Projects

2 Assessments

197 Playgrounds

21 Challenges

19 Quizzes

Course Overview

What You'll Learn

Course Content

Course Overview

This course is intended to thoroughly understand pointers in C and low-level memory operations. It introduces the fundamentals of pointers and memory in C using a step-by-step approach to basic and advanced concepts. This course is divided into several sections. It starts with memory and pointers, and the common errors associated with them. Next, you will get a comprehensive overview of C pointers, including memory management, arrays, strings, functions, complex declarations, dynamic memory, structures, an...Show More

This course is intended to thoroughly understand pointers in C and low-level memory operations. It introduces the fundamentals o...Show More

TAKEAWAY SKILLS

Pointers

Lifetime and Memory Management

OS Fundamentals

Linked List

Binary Search Tree

Structures

Stack

Arrays

Strings

Generics

Pointer arithmetic

Dynamic memory allocations

Heap

What You'll Learn

A working knowledge of the C language

An understanding of memory layers and their inner workings

The ability to write code using pointers efficiently

Mastery of crucial data structures, such as linked lists and binary search trees

An understanding of how to prepare for C language job interviews

A working knowledge of the C language

Course Content

Introduction

5 Lessons

Get familiar with memory and pointers, key concepts, and common errors in C.

Welcome to Pointers and Memory in Depth

Memory

Pointers

Common Errors

Quiz Yourself on Memory and Pointers

Stack and Local Memory

7 Lessons

Discover the logic behind stack operations, function calls, memory allocation, and scope in C.

Local vs. Global Scope

Stack Definition

Stack for Local Variables

Stack for Function Calls

Pointers to Variables on Stack

Common Errors

Quiz Yourself on Stack Usage

Passing Arguments to Functions

6 Lessons

Work your way through passing arguments by value and reference, and manipulating pointers.

Pass by Value

Issues in the Pass by Value

Pass by Reference Using Pointers

Coding Challenge: The Swap Function

Changing the Value of Pointers Passed as Arguments

Quiz Yourself on Parameter Passing

Pointer Arithmetic Basics

6 Lessons

Break down complex ideas in pointer arithmetic, covering sizes, addition, subtraction, comparisons, and invalid operations.

Quiz Yourself on Pointer Arithmetic

Pointers and Arrays

8 Lessons

Solve problems in managing arrays with pointers, arithmetic, decaying, and function passing in C.

Array Basics

Pointers and Arrays

Pointer Arithmetic with Arrays

Array Decaying

Passing Arrays to Functions

Practice: Target Sum in a Sorted Array

Challenge: Closest Target Sum in Two Sorted Arrays

Quiz Yourself on Arrays

Pointers and Strings

7 Lessons

Tackle pointers and strings through memory representation, constant strings, pointer arithmetic, and practical challenges.

Memory Representation Using Char Arrays

Pointers to Constant Strings

Pointer Arithmetic With Strings

Returning Pointers to Strings

Practice: Reverse a String

Challenge: Locate the First Occurrence

Quiz Yourself on Strings

Pointers and Functions

6 Lessons

Practice using function pointers in C for dynamic function calls and flexible code.

Writing Function Pointers

Function Pointers and Regular Pointers

Passing Functions as Arguments

Arrays of Function Pointers

Practice: Build a Command-Line Tool

Quiz Yourself on Function Pointers

Complex Pointer Declarations

4 Lessons

Break down complex pointer declarations in C, using rules and examples for clarity.

Basic Rules

Reading Complex Pointer Declarations

More Details on Reading Complex Declarations

Quiz Yourself on Reading Complex Pointer Declarations

Assessment 1

Assessment

10.

Heap and Dynamic Memory

12 Lessons

Walk through heap memory, dynamic allocation functions, Valgrind, and common errors in C.

Heap Definition

Dynamic Memory Allocation Functions

Static vs. Dynamic Allocation

Allocating 1-D Arrays on Heap

Reallocating Dynamic Arrays

Introduction to Valgrind

Challenge: std::string in C

Allocating 2-D Arrays on Heap

Allocating a Matrix as a Contiguous Block

Sharing Memory Between Functions and Ownership

Common Errors

Quiz Yourself on Heap and Dynamic Memory Allocations

11.

Structures

8 Lessons

Work your way through struct definitions, arrays, dynamic allocation, padding, copies, and coding challenges.

Structures Definition

Arrays of Structures

Dynamically Allocating Structures and Structure Members

Padding for Struct Members

Deep and Shallow Copy

Quiz Yourself on Structures

Coding Challenge: Modeling Complex Objects and Relationships (1)

Coding Challenge: Modeling Complex Objects and Relationships (2)

12.

Practicing Everything with Linked Lists

7 Lessons

Apply your skills to manage linked lists, covering insertion, challenges, comparisons with arrays, and efficient techniques.

Singly Linked Lists Definition

Practice: Inserting Elements in a Linked List

Challenge: Inserting Elements in a Linked List

Linked Lists vs Arrays from a Memory Point of View

Local References Technique

Practice: Sorted Union

Challenges: Insert at Position and Merge Lists

Assessment 2

Assessment

14.

Genericity Using Void Pointers

7 Lessons

Dig into void pointers for flexible and type-agnostic memory manipulation in C.

void Pointers Definition

Examples of Functions Using void*

Generic Linked List

Helper Functions for Genericity

Practice: Get Element at Position

Challenge: Remove Element from Generic Linked List

Quiz Yourself on void Pointers

15.

Advanced Memory Manipulation

6 Lessons

Follow the process of advanced memory manipulation, implementing custom functions, and understanding endianness.

Reinterpreting Memory

Challenge: Implement memcmp

Endianness

Challenge: Set Integer Bytes

Checking Endianness

Quiz Yourself on Advanced Memory Manipulation

16.

Project Prep: Binary Search Trees

11 Lessons

Master the implementation and operations of Binary Search Trees in C through practical tips, pseudocode, and playground exercises.

Binary Search Tree Definition

Implementation Tips and Tricks

Pseudocode Lessons

BST Operations: Pseudocode (Part 1)

BST Operations: Playground (Part 1)

BST Operations: Pseudocode (Part 2)

BST Operations: Playground (Part 2)

BST Operations: Pseudocode (Part 3)

BST Operations: Playground (Part 3)

BST Operations: Pseudocode (Part 4)

BST Operations: Playground (Part 4)

Efficiently Processing Temperature Samples

Project

Efficient Dictionary

Project

Efficiently Processing Employee Records

Project

20.

Conclusion

6 Lessons

Learn how to use memory management and pointer techniques for advanced programming tasks.

Conclusion

Appendix 1 - Useful Links and Tools

Appendix 2 - Generic BST Implementation Solution

Appendix 3 - Temperature Samples Project Solution

Appendix 4 - Dictionary Project Solution

Appendix 5 - Employee Records Project Solution

Course Author

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