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  • C Interview Questions and Answers: What Is The Heap?

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    Karthik Kartz
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    The document contains summaries of key C programming concepts: - The heap is where dynamic memory is allocated using functions like malloc() and free(). It is slower than the stack but more flexible. Memory leaks can occur if it is not freed properly. - Pointers to functions declare the function type being pointed to, like other pointers. They allow functions to be passed as arguments. - The main() function is the entry point of a C program and returns an int value. It can take arguments for command line input. - Const pointers point to data that cannot be modified, helping catch bugs and allowing optimizations, while the pointer itself can change.

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    The document contains summaries of key C programming concepts: - The heap is where dynamic memory is allocated using functions like malloc() and free(). It is slower than the stack but more flexible. Memory leaks can occur if it is not freed properly. - Pointers to functions declare the function type being pointed to, like other pointers. They allow functions to be passed as arguments. - The main() function is the entry point of a C program and returns an int value. It can take arguments for command line input. - Const pointers point to data that cannot be modified, helping catch bugs and allowing optimizations, while the pointer itself can change.

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    22 views4 pages

    C Interview Questions and Answers: What Is The Heap?

    Uploaded by

    Karthik Kartz
    The document contains summaries of key C programming concepts: - The heap is where dynamic memory is allocated using functions like malloc() and free(). It is slower than the stack but more flexible. Memory leaks can occur if it is not freed properly. - Pointers to functions declare the function type being pointed to, like other pointers. They allow functions to be passed as arguments. - The main() function is the entry point of a C program and returns an int value. It can take arguments for command line input. - Const pointers point to data that cannot be modified, helping catch bugs and allowing optimizations, while the pointer itself can change.

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    of 4

    C Interview Questions And Answ ers

    [C Frequently

    Asked Questions ,C FAQ ]

    What is the heap?


    The heap is where malloc(), calloc(), and realloc() get memory.
    Getting memory from the heap is much slower than getting it from the stack. On
    the other hand, the heap is much more flexible than the stack. Memory can be
    allocated at any time and deallocated in any order. Such memory isnt deallocated
    automatically; you have to call free().
    Recursive data structures are almost always implemented with memory from the
    heap. Strings often come from there too, especially strings that could be very long
    at runtime. If you can keep data in a local variable (and allocate it from the stack),
    your code will run faster than if you put the data on the heap. Sometimes you can
    use a better algorithm if you use the heap faster, or more robust, or more flexible.
    Its a tradeoff.
    If memory is allocated from the heap, its available until the program ends. Thats
    great if you remember to deallocate it when youre done. If you forget, its a problem.
    A memory leak is some allocated memory thats no longer needed but isnt
    deallocated. If you have a memory leak inside a loop, you can use up all the
    memory on the heap and not be able to get any more. (When that happens, the
    allocation functions return a null pointer.) In some environments, if a program
    doesnt deallocate everything it allocated, memory stays unavailable even after the
    program ends.

    How do you use a pointer to a function?


    The hardest part about using a pointer-to-function is declaring it.
    Consider an example. You want to create a pointer, pf, that points to the strcmp()
    function.
    The strcmp() function is declared in this way:
    int strcmp(const char *, const char * )
    To set up pf to point to the strcmp() function, you want a declaration that looks just
    like the strcmp() functions declaration, but that has *pf rather than strcmp:
    int (*pf)( const char *, const char * );
    After youve gotten the declaration of pf, you can #include and assign the address of
    strcmp() to pf: pf = strcmp;

    What is the purpose of main( ) function?


    The function main( ) invokes other functions within it.It is the first function to be
    called when the program starts execution.
    - It is the starting function
    - It returns an int value to the environment that called the program
    - Recursive call is allowed for main( ) also.
    - It is a user-defined function
    - Program execution ends when the closing brace of the function main( ) is reached.
    - It has two arguments 1)argument count and 2) argument vector (represents

    strings passed).
    - Any user-defined name can also be used as parameters for main( ) instead of argc
    and argv

    Why n++ executes faster than n+1?


    The expression n++ requires a single machine instruction such as INR to carry out
    the increment operation whereas, n+1 requires more instructions to carry out this
    operation.

    What will the preprocessor do for a program?


    The C preprocessor is used to modify your program according to the preprocessor
    directives in your source code. A preprocessor directive is a statement (such as
    #define) that gives the preprocessor specific instructions on how to modify your
    source code. The preprocessor is invoked as the first part of your compiler
    programs compilation step. It is usually hidden from the programmer because it is
    run automatically by the compiler.
    The preprocessor reads in all of your include files and the source code you are
    compiling and creates a preprocessed version of your source code. This
    preprocessed version has all of its macros and constant symbols replaced by their
    corresponding code and value assignments. If your source code contains any
    conditional preprocessor directives (such as #if), the preprocessor evaluates the
    condition and modifies your source code accordingly.

    What is the benefit of using const for declaring constants?


    The benefit of using the const keyword is that the compiler might be able to make
    optimizations based on the knowledge that the value of the variable will not change.
    In addition, the compiler will try to ensure that the values wont be changed
    inadvertently.
    Of course, the same benefits apply to #defined constants. The reason to use const
    rather than #define to define a constant is that a const variable can be of any type
    (such as a struct, which cant be represented by a #defined constant). Also, because
    a const variable is a real variable, it has an address that can be used, if needed,
    and it resides in only one place in memory

    What is the easiest sorting method to use?


    The answer is the standard library function qsort(). Its the easiest sort by far for
    several reasons:
    It is already written.
    It is already debugged.
    It has been optimized as much as possible (usually).
    Void qsort(void *buf, size_t num, size_t size, int (*comp)(const void *ele1, const void
    *ele2));

    How many levels of pointers can you have?


    The answer depends on what you mean by levels of pointers. If you mean How many
    levels of indirection can you have in a single declaration? the answer is At least 12.

    int i = 0;
    int *ip01 = & i;
    int **ip02 = & ip01;
    int ***ip03 = & ip02;
    int ****ip04 = & ip03;
    int *****ip05 = & ip04;
    int ******ip06 = & ip05;
    int *******ip07 = & ip06;
    int ********ip08 = & ip07;
    int *********ip09 = & ip08;
    int **********ip10 = & ip09;
    int ***********ip11 = & ip10;
    int ************ip12 = & ip11;
    ************ip12 = 1; /* i = 1 */
    The ANSI C standard says all compilers must handle at least 12 levels. Your
    compiler might support more.

    Is it better to use a macro or a function?


    The answer depends on the situation you are writing code for. Macros have the
    distinct advantage of being more efficient (and faster) than functions, because their
    corresponding code is inserted directly into your source code at the point where the
    macro is called. There is no overhead involved in using a macro like there is in
    placing a call to a function. However, macros are generally small and cannot handle
    large, complex coding constructs. A function is more suited for this type of
    situation. Additionally, macros are expanded inline, which means that the code is
    replicated for each occurrence of a macro. Your code therefore could be somewhat
    larger when you use macros than if you were to use functions.
    Thus, the choice between using a macro and using a function is one of deciding
    between the tradeoff of faster program speed versus smaller program size.
    Generally, you should use macros to replace small, repeatable code sections, and
    you should use functions for larger coding tasks that might require several lines of
    code.

    What are the standard predefined macros?


    The ANSI C standard defines six predefined macros for use in the C language:
    Macro Name Purpose
    _ _LINE_ _ Inserts the current source code line number in your code.
    _ _FILE_ _ Inserts the current source code filename in your code.
    _ _ Inserts the current date of compilation in your code.
    _ _TIME_ _ Inserts the current time of compilation in your code.
    _ _STDC_ _ Is set to 1 if you are enforcing strict ANSI C conformity.
    _ _cplusplus Is defined if you are compiling a C++ program.

    What is a const pointer?


    The access modifier keyword const is a promise the programmer makes to the
    compiler that the value of a variable will not be changed after it is initialized. The

    compiler will enforce that promise as best it can by not enabling the programmer to
    write code which modifies a variable that has been declared const.
    A const pointer, or more correctly, a pointer to const, is a pointer which points to
    data that is const (constant, or unchanging). A pointer to const is declared by
    putting the word const at the beginning of the pointer declaration. This declares a
    pointer which points to data that cant be modified. The pointer itself can be
    modified. The following example illustrates some legal and illegal uses of a const
    pointer:
    const char *str = hello;
    char c = *str /* legal */
    str++; /* legal */
    *str = a; /* illegal */
    str[1] = b; /* illegal */

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