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--- user:acrowle1:portfolio:cprogproject2 [2014/02/16 16:39] – [Background] acrowle1
+++ user:acrowle1:portfolio:cprogproject2 [2014/03/01 11:51] (current) – wedge
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-======Project: datatypes======
+======Project: data types======
 A project for CSCS1320S14 by Alana Whittier during the Spring Semester 2014.
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 **The char Data Type**
-Each char character such as a, A, b, or B has a unique numeric value associated with it that computers use to represent the characters. This is such since the computer can only store numeric code.
+Each char character such as a, A, b, or B has a unique numeric value associated with it that computers use to represent the characters. This is such since the computer can only store numeric code. The original ASCII set had only 128 characters, represented by 2^7. This ASCII character set has been expanded to 2^8, or 256 total characters.
+**The int Data Type**
+To specify a variable type as an integer, the int keyword is used. Integers are considered whole numbers, meaning that any fractional part is ignored.
+**Format Specifiers in fprintf() Function (for this assignment)**
+  * %c: character
+  * %d: integer
+  * %s: string
+  * %u: unsigned integer
+**Adding h, hh, l, ll to format specifiers**
+  * %hhu: half half unsigned char
+  * %hhd: half half signed char
+  * %lu: unsigned long int
+  * %ld: signed long int
+  * %llu: unsigned long long int
+  * %lld: signed long long int
+  * %hu: unsigned short int
+  * %hd: signed short int
+**Difference between signed and unsigned data types**
+  * signed data types accept both positive and negative values
+  * unsigned data types accept ONLY positive values
+For example, an unsigned character has a range of values from 0 to 255 (2^8 -1), where an signed char could have a range from -128 (2^7) to 127 (2^7 -1). Additionally, if an int data type of size 2 bytes, or 16 bits, the unsigned int type communicates to the compiler that the variable can assume only positive values from 0 to 65535 (2^16 -1), while the signed int could range from -32768 (-2^15 -1) to  32767 (2^15).
+**Converting to Decimal to Hex or Binary**
+Binary is a 2-based number system where each digit, called a bit can be either 0 or 1. Hex values range from 0 to F  in a 4 bit size, meaning there are 16 possibilities.
+Lets say for example there is a decimal number of 10. To convert to binary, consider that 10= 2^3 +2^1. Then let's consider that there is (1) 2^3, (0) 2^2, (1) 2^1, (0) 2^0. Then, 1*2^3 + 0*2^2 + 1*2^1 + 0* 2^0 = 1010 in binary. Since there are only 0 through 9 digits, in hex, 10 = A, 11 = B, 12 = C, 13 = D, 14 = E, and 15 = F. Thus to convert the decimal value of 10 to hex, the hex representation would be A.
+**Bitwise Operators (used in this assignment)**
+These are used to perform "logical" operations.
+  * &: the bitwise AND operator (requires that ALL bits in an argument be 1 to be any resulting value other than 0).
+  * |: the bitwise OR operator (results in 1 if one or either bit is equal to one.)
+**sizeof() function**
+Yields the size of the data type to be stored (in bytes).
-Upon approval, you'll want to fill this section out with more detailed background information. DO NOT JUST PROVIDE A LINK.
-Providing any links to original source material, such as from a project page, is a good idea.
-You'll want to give a general overview of what is going to be accomplished (for example, if your project is about installing a web server, do a little write-up on web servers. What is it, why do we need one, how does it work, etc.)
 =====Scope=====
-Give a general overview of your anticipated implementation of the project. Address any areas where you are making upfront assumptions or curtailing potential detail. State the focus you will be taking in implementation.
+The motivation behind this project is to become familiar with a number of data types available to us in C programming. The assumptions are that a program will be written successfully to acquire information related to each data type specified including, how much space is allocated to each data type, how many unique numbers are possible, and the available ranges of values (high and low).
+The specific data types explored in this project are (includes signed and unsigned):
+  * char
+  * short int
+  * int
+  * long int
+  * long long int
 =====Attributes=====
 State and justify the attributes you'd like to receive upon successful approval and completion of this project.
-  * attribute1: why you feel your pursuit of this project will gain you this attribute
+  * ability to edit code: this project will help immensely since the data types must be declared and specified correctly.
-  * attribute2: why you feel your pursuit of this project will gain you this attribute
+  * ability to convert to hexadecimal: this is a requirement to use the bitwise AND/OR logical operators per data type
-  * etc...
+  * ability to obtain the low (negative values) for the signed data types.
 =====Procedure=====
 The actual steps taken to accomplish the project. Include images, code snippets, command-line excerpts; whatever is useful for intuitively communicating important information for accomplishing the project.
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 =====Reflection=====
-Comments/thoughts generated through performing the project, observations made, analysis rendered, conclusions wrought. What did you learn from doing this project?
+Considering the difficulties I encountered during the process of writing this program, it was as rewarding as it was frustrating. It forced me to delve deeper into more of the computer fundamentals to successfully execute the program. Since I have never taken a digital logic type course and this was my first programming course, binary was a foreign concept to me. Furthermore, converting from decimal to binary or hex was even more foreign. I have learned everything from two's and one's complement, to format specifiers, to manipulating code in order to obtain the negative values in the range for the signed data types. In order to do this, I changed from bitwise AND to bitwise OR, as well as type cast to the unsigned counterpart of the data type. This was a surprise, as I happened upon changing from bitwise AND to OR, only in desperation to achieve what I knew the low values in the range were supposed to be. I kept second guessing MY logic, as well as the computer logic used in completing the assignment.
+**Observations**
+The long and long long int (signed and unsigned) appear the same. This is because they are both 64 bit and that is the most the compiler can handle.
+printf() and fprintf() basically do the same thing. The difference being that printf can only print on the monitor, has the default stream of STDOUT, while fprintf can print to a user defined stream (or file). In our project, fprintf uses the STDOUT to the screen AS if it were a file.
+STDOUT is by default printed to the screen unless user specified.
+%s is the format specifier used to print a string of characters, %hhu is the format specifier for half half unsigned char, % hu is the format specifier for unsigned short int.
+The difference between %u and %d are that %u denotes an unsigned int type, while %d denotes a signed int type.
+Considering the 13 in %13 in the first stanza for unsigned char in the program, this just specifies the number of characters in the string, including spaces to be printed for "TYPE".
+If a sign is left unspecified, it is assumed unsigned by default.
+The & and | operators are the bitwise logic operators, which in our case took the hex representation of our data types to help us to obtain the appropriate high/low values within our ranges.
+I experienced some difficulty in initial attempts to obtain the low values for the signed data types. I later learned that not only did I need to change the expression for the "low" values to bitwise OR, but I also needed to type cast in the final line of the signed data type stanza.
+Based on my program's output, the total bits allocated per the following data types are as follows:
+   * signed char = 8 bits
+   * unsigned short int = 16 bits
+   * unsigned int = 32 bits
+   * signed int = 32 bits
+   * signed long long int = 64 bits
+However, due to the decrementing and incrementing per data type, only the unsigned char actually stored ANY memory at all and stored a total of 16 bits!
 =====References=====

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