TOP-DOWN DESIGN WITH FUNCTIONS

CHAPTER 3

1
OUTLINE
 Building Programs from Existing Information
 Library Functions and Code Reuse
 Top-Down Design and Structure Charts
 Functions, Prototypes, and Definitions
 Functions with Arguments
 Testing Functions and Function Data Area
 Advantages of Functions and Common Errors
RECALL: SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHOD

1. Specify the problem

2. Analyze the problem

3. Design the algorithm to solve the problem

4. Implement the algorithm

5. Test and verify the completed program

6. Maintain and update the program

 CASE STUDY: COMPUTING THE WEIGHT
OF A BATCH OF FLAT WASHERS
 1.Problem: Write a program that computes the weight
of a specified quantity of flat washers.
 2.
Analysis: to compute the weight of a single flat
washer, you should know its area, thickness, and
density.
Inputs:
hole diameter, edge diameter, thickness, density, quantity
Output:
weight (of a batch of flat washers)
2. ANALYSIS
COMPUTING THE AREA AND WEIGHT

rim area =
(d2/2)2 – (d1/2)2

unit weight =
rim area ×
thickness ×
density
3. DESIGNING THE ALGORITHM
1. Read the washer's inner diameter, outer diameter,
and thickness
2. Read the material density and quantify of washers
3. Compute the rim area
4. Compute the weight of one flat washer
5. Compute the weight of the batch of washers
6. Display the weight of the batch of washers
4. IMPLEMENT FLAT WASHER PROGRAM
FLAT WASHER PROGRAM
(CONT'D)
 FLAT WASHER PROGRAM
(CONT'D)

5. Testing
Run the program with inner, outer diameters, thickness, and
densities that lead to calculations that can be verified easily.
LIBRARY FUNCTIONS AND CODE
REUSE
 The primary goal of software engineering is to write
error-free code.
 Reusing code that has already been written and tested
is one way to achieve this.
C promotes code reuse by providing library functions.
 Input/Output functions: printf, scanf , etc.

 Mathematical functions: sqrt, exp, log, etc.

 String functions: strlen, strcpy, strcmp, etc.

 Appendix B lists many C standard library functions

 SOME MATHEMATICAL LIBRARY FUNCTIONS
Function Header file Argument Result Example
abs(x) <stdlib.h> int int abs(-5) is 5
fabs(x) <math.h> double double fabs(-2.3) is 2.3
sqrt(x) <math.h> double double sqrt(2.25) is 1.5
exp(x) <math.h> double double exp(1.0) is 2.71828
log(x) <math.h> double double log(2.71828) is 1.0
log10(x) <math.h> double double log10(100.0) is 2.0
pow(x,y) <math.h> double, double pow(2.0,3.0) is 8.0
double returns xy

sin(x) <math.h> double double sin(PI/2.0) is 1.0

cos(x) <math.h> double double cos(PI/3.0) is 0.5
tan(x) <math.h> double double tan(PI/4.0) is 1.0
ceil(x) <math.h> double double ceil(45.2) is 46.0
floor(x) <math.h> double double floor(45.2) is 45.0
USING MATH LIBRARY
FUNCTIONS
#include <math.h>
 Computing the roots of: ax2 + bx + c = 0
delta = b*b – 4*a*c;
root1 = (-b + sqrt(delta))/(2.0 * a);
root2 = (-b - sqrt(delta))/(2.0 * a);
 Computing the unknown side of a triangle
 a2 = b2 + c2 – 2 b c cos()
a = sqrt(b*b + c*c -
2*b*c*cos(alpha));
 alpha must be in radians
NEXT . . .
 Building Programs from Existing Information
 Library Functions and Code Reuse
 Top-Down Design and Structure Charts
 Functions, Prototypes, and Definitions
 Functions with Arguments
 Testing Functions and Function Data Area
 Advantages of Functions and Common Errors
TOP-DOWN DESIGN
 Algorithms are often complex
 To solve a problem, the programmer must break it
into sub-problems at a lower level
 This process is called top-down design
 Examples:

Drawing
Simple
Diagrams
STRUCTURE CHARTS
 Structure Charts show the relationship between the
original problem and its sub-problems.
 The sub-problem (Draw a triangle) can also be refined.
It has its own sub-problems at level 2.
FUNCTIONS WITHOUT
ARGUMENTS
 Oneway to achieve top-down design is to define a
function for each sub-program.
 For example, one can define functions to draw a
circle, intersecting lines, base line, and a triangle.
 To draw a circle, call the function:
draw_circle(); /* No argument
*/
 To draw a triangle, call the function:
draw_triangle(); /* No argument
*/
 FUNCTION PROTOTYPES
 A function must be declared before it can be used in a program.
 To do this, you can add a function prototype before main to
tell the compiler what functions you are planning to use.
 A function prototype tells the C compiler:
1. The result data type that the function will return
2. The function name
3. Information about the arguments that the function expects
 Function prototypes for draw_circle and sqrt
void draw_circle(void);
double sqrt(double x);
18
 FUNCTION PROTOTYPES
Before main function

Draws
This
Stick
Figure
19
 FUNCTION DEFINITION
 A function prototype tells the compiler what arguments the
function takes and what it returns, but NOT what it does
 A function definition tells the compiler what the function does
 Function Header: Same as the prototype, except it does not
end with a semicolon ;
 Function Body: enclosed by { and } containing variable
declarations and executable statements

No Result
No Argument
PLACEMENT
OF FUNCTION
DEFINITIONS
AFTER THE
MAIN FUNCTION
OF A PROGRAM
PLACEMENT OF FUNCTIONS IN A PROGRAM
 In
general, declare all function prototypes at the
beginning (after #include and #define)
 This is followed by the main function
 After that, we define all of our functions
 However, this is just a convention
 Aslong as a function’s prototype appears before it is
used, it doesn’t matter where in the file it is defined
 Theorder we define functions in a program does
not have any impact on how they are executed
EXECUTION ORDER OF
FUNCTIONS
 Program execution always starts in main function
 Execution order of functions is determined by the
order of the function call statements
 At the end of a function, control returns immediately
after the point where the function call was made

function call
NEXT . . .
 Building Programs from Existing Information
 Library Functions and Code Reuse
 Top-Down Design and Structure Charts
 Functions, Prototypes, and Definitions
 Functions with Arguments
 Testing Functions and Function Data Area
 Advantages of Functions and Common Errors
 FUNCTIONS WITH ARGUMENTS
 We use arguments to communicate with the function
 Two types of function arguments:
 Input arguments: pass data from the caller to the function

 Output arguments: pass results from the function back to

the caller [chapter 6]

 Types of Functions
 No input arguments and no value returned

 Input arguments, but no value returned

 Input arguments and single value returned

 Input arguments and multiple values returned [chapter 6]

FUNCTION WITH INPUT ARGUMENT
BUT NO RETURN VALUE
 void print_rboxed(double rnum);
 Display its double argument rnum in a box
 void function  No return value

Sample Run
 FORMAL AND ACTUAL PARAMETERS
 Formal Parameter
An identifier that represents a parameter in a function
prototype or definition.
Example: void print_rbox(double rnum);
The formal parameter is rnum of type double
 Actual Parameter (or Argument)
An expression used inside the parentheses of a function call
Example: print_rbox(x+y); /* function call */
Actual argument is the value of the expression x+y
 Parametersmake functions more useful. Different
arguments are passed each time a function is called.
FUNCTIONS WITH INPUT ARGUMENTS
AND A SINGLE RESULT VALUE
/* area of a circle */
double
circle_area(double r)
{
return (PI * r * r);
}

/* diagonal of rectangle */
double
rect_diagonal(double l, double w)
{
double d = sqrt(l*l + w*w);
return d;
}
 Functions in the math library are of this category
TESTING FUNCTIONS USING
DRIVERS
A function is an independent program module
 It should be tested separately to ensure correctness
A driver function is written to test another function
 Input or define the arguments

 Call the function

 Display the function result and verify its correctness

 We can use the main function as a driver function

TESTING FUNCTION rect_diagonal
/* Testing rect_diagonal function */
int
main(void)
{
double length, width; /* of a rectangle */
double diagonal; /* of a rectangle */

printf("Enter length and width of rectangle> ");

scanf("%lf%lf", &length, &width);
diagonal = rect_diagonal(length, width);
printf("Result of rect_diagonal is %f\n", diagonal);
return 0;
}
 THE FUNCTION DATA AREA
 Each time a function call is executed, an area of memory is
allocated for formal parameters and local variables
 Local Variables: variables declared within a function body
 Function Data Area: Formal Parameters + Local Variables
 Allocated when the function is called

 Can be used only from within the function

 No other function can see them

 The function data area is lost when a function returns

 It is reallocated when the function is called again
EXAMPLE OF FUNCTION DATA
AREAS
diagonal = rect_diagonal(length, width);

Function Function
main rect_diagonal
Data Area Data Area
length l
pass
1.5 1.5

width w
pass
2.0 2.0

diagonal d
return
? 2.5
ARGUMENT LIST
CORRESPONDENCE
 The Number of actual arguments used in a call to a
function must be equal to the number of formal
parameters listed in the function prototype.
 The Order of the actual arguments used in the
function call must correspond to the order of the
parameters listed in the function prototype.
 Each actual argument must be of a data Type that
can be assigned to the corresponding formal
parameter with no unexpected loss of information.
ADVANTAGES OF FUNCTIONS
 A large problem can be better solved by breaking it
up into several functions (sub-problems)
 Easier to write and maintain small functions than
writing one large main function
 Once you have written and tested a function, it can
be reused as a building block for a large program
 Well written and tested functions reduce the overall
length of the program and the chance of error
 Useful functions can be bundled into libraries
PROGRAMMING STYLE
 Each function should begin with a comment that
describes its purpose, input arguments, and result
 Include comments within the function body to
describe local variables and the algorithm steps
 Place prototypes for your own functions in the
source file before the main function
 Place the function definitions after the main
function in any order that you want
COMMON PROGRAMMING
ERRORS
 Remember to use #include directive for every
standard library from which you are using functions
 For each function call:
 Provide the required Number of arguments
 Make sure the Order of arguments is correct
 Make sure each argument is the correct Type or that
conversion to the correct type will not lose information.
 Document and test every function you write
 Donot call a function and pass arguments that are
out of range. A function will not work properly
when passing invalid arguments: sqrt(-1.0)
double getresult (double A);

int main ()
{
double x,y;
printf("Enter a number> ");
scanf("%lf",&x);
y=getresult (x);
printf("The number is %.1f ",y);
return 0;

double getresult (double A){

double v;
if (A>=0 && A<=5)
{

v=(-A/5)+1;
}
else {
v=0;}
return v;
} 38