CS 111 Computing

Fundamentals

Functions (2)
Dr. Christina Class
Repetition
Functions: Variables
 Local variables
 Variables that are defined within a function
a local variables
 They are administered automatically by the
runtime system.
 Their initial value is undefined.
 They can only be accessed from within the
function that defined it.
 They will be removed from the memory
when the function ends.
 Remark for SIC students: They are stored on
the stack.
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 4
 Sharing of information between a
function A and the function B that
called the function A:
 from the caller to the function: using
parameters
 from the function to the caller: using
the (only one) return value
 Functions can also share
information by using global
variables.
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 5
 Global variables

 Global variables are defined

outside every function.
 They can be accessed from within
all code segments after their
declaration.
 They are initialized with 0.
 They exist as long as the program
is running.
 Remark for SIC Students: They are
stored
CS 116 on -the
– Summer 2014/15 heap.
Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 6
 Variables

local (automatic) global

declaration within a function (or outside any function
block)
initial value undefined 0
accessibility from within the function / from the whole file (if
the block not hidden)
lifetime of the function / the block of the whole program

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 7

 Examples
#include <stdio.h>

int a;
global variable
void read(void)
{
scanf("%d",&a);
}

void write(void)
{
printf("a = %d\n", a);
}

int main()
{
read();
write();
return 0;
}

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 8

#include <stdio.h>

int a;

void read()
{
scanf("%d",&a);
}

void write()
{
printf("a = %d\n", a);
}

int main()
{
write();
read();
write();
return 0;
}

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 9

#include <stdio.h>
global variable
int a=4;
local variable,
void write() hides global variable
{ with the same name
int a=13;
printf("a = %d\n", a);
}
access to local variable
int main()
{
write();
printf("a = %d\n", a);
return 0; access to global variable
}
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 10
 With each call to a function, its
local variables are automatically
recreated

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 11

#include <stdio.h>

void myFunction(void)
{
int value=1;
printf("The value is: %d.\n", value);
value++;
}

int main()
{
myFunction();
myFunction();
myFunction();
return 0;
}
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 12
 static variables

 A static variable is a local variable

which is not deleted after the end
of a function.
 Its lifetime is as long as the
program exists.
 It is initialized with zero.
 Its access is limited to the function
that defines it.

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 13

#include <stdio.h>

void myFunction(void)
{
static int value=1;
printf("The value is: %d.\n", value);
value++;
}

int main()
{
myFunction();
myFunction();
myFunction();
return 0;
}
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 14
 Variables

local static local global

(automatic)
declaration within a within a function outside any
function (or (or block) function
block) using the
keyword static
initial value undefined 0 0
accessibility from within the from within the from the whole
function / function / block file (if not
block hidden)
lifetime of the of the whole of the whole
function / the program program
block

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 15

Functions: Parameter
 Parameters of the standard types (int,
char, float, etc.) in C are call-by-value
parameters.
 When the function is called, the value
of the actual parameter (in the
function call) is copied and passed to
the function parameter.
 The function works with a copy!
 This allows for passing literal constants
as parameters. (e.g. squares(1,5);)
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 17
#include <stdio.h>

this is a copy of a value

void toSquare(int a)
{
a = a*a;
printf("a in toSquare: %d\n",a);
}

int main()
{
int a = 15;
toSquare(a);
printf("a in main: %d\n",a);
return 0;
}
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 18
 If we wish to change the value in
the calling code segment, we need
to use a return value and assign it
to the variable.

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 19

#include <stdio.h>

int toSquare(int a)
{
a = a*a;
printf("a in toSquare: %d\n",a);
return a;
}

int main()
{
int a = 15;
a = toSquare(a);
printf("a in main: %d\n",a);
return 0;
}
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 20
Arrays as parameters
 Arrays can be used as parameters but not
returned by a function.
 Arrays are call-by-reference
parameters, i.e. the function and the
caller share the same array copy and all
changes are permanent.
 The length in the parameter definition of
an array is ignored.
 When the function is called, only the
name of the array is passed as parameter.

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 22

#include <stdio.h>
int main()
void read(int array[]) {
{
int i; int array[5];
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
scanf("%d",&array[i]); read(array);
}
write(array);
void write(int array[])
{
return 0;
int i; }
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
printf("%d ",
array[i]);
printf("\n");
}

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 23

void write(int array[], int length)
{
int i;
for (i = 0; i < length; i++)
printf("%d ", array[i]);
printf("\n");
}
int main()
{
int array1[] = {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10};
int array2[] = {11,12,13,14};
write(array1,10);
write(array2,4);
write(array1,4);
return 0;
}
CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 24
 If we use a two dimensional array
as a parameter, the column
dimension must be specified.
 e.g.
void readMatrix(int matrix[][3], int
rows)
{
}

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 25

 Exercises

 Study the handout.

 Implement a function to return the
minimum of the array.
 Implement a function to print the
array values.

CS 116 – Summer 2014/15 - Dr. Christina Class - Lecture 11 26