C is widely used in many contexts. This training focusses on using C for scientific programming.

Learning outcomes

When you complete this training you will be able to

• read and understand well-written C code;
• write intermediate-level C programs;
• have a good starting point to familiarize yourself with the more sophisticated aspects of C;
• know about best practices and pitfalls for C programmers;
• have a working knowledge of the C standard Library;
• know how to use third-party libraries such as GSL for numerical computing.

Schedule

Total duration: 8 hours, split over two sessions.

Session one

Total duration: 8 hours

Subject	Duration
introduction and motivation	5 min.
basics: control flow statements, data types	85 min.
hands-on session	20 min.
coffee break	10 min.
functions	15 min.
simple I/O	10 min.
arrays and user defined types	85 min.
hands-on session	20 min.

Session two

Total duration: 4 hours

Subject	Duration
pointers & dynamic memory management	80 min.
hands-on session	20 min.
error handling	10 min.
coffee break	10 min.
using third-party libraries	80 min.
hands-on session	20 min.
wrap up	10 min.

Training materials

Slides are available in the GitHub repository, as well as example code and hands-on material.

Target audience

This training is for you if you need to use C as a programming language.

Prerequisites

You will need experience programming in another programming language, This is not a training that starts from scratch.

If you plan to do C programming in a Linux or HPC environment you should be familiar with these as well.

Quick self-assessment

The tasks below are not meant to test prior C knowledge. They describe programming concepts you should already recognize from another programming language. If you can do most of them in any language, you are likely ready for this training.

• write a function that computes the average of a list of numbers;
• loop over a collection and compute a derived result such as a sum or count;
• use if/else or a switch-like construct to classify values into cases;
• split a program into a few helper functions or files;
• read data from a text file and print a simple summary;
• read a short program and explain what it does;
• compile or run a small program from the command line;
• make a small change to an existing program and run it again.

If several of these items still feel difficult, the training will probably move too fast. In that case, it is better to first take a short introductory programming course.

Software and access requirements

To follow hands-on, you need a computer with a C development environment installed. You can of course use an HPC system you have access to as well.

Level

• Introductory: 40 %
• Intermediate: 40 %
• Advanced: 20 %

Trainer(s)

• Geert Jan Bex (geertjan.bex@uhasselt.be)