Project 12: String Toolkit

Rebuild common string utilities to master C strings.

Quick Reference

Attribute Value
Difficulty Level 3 (Advanced)
Time Estimate 10-20 hours
Language C
Prerequisites Basic C syntax, Functions and control flow, Pointers and memory management, Strings and parsing
Key Topics strings, pointers, arrays, error handling, testing

1. Learning Objectives

By completing this project, you will:

  1. Apply strings in a real program
  2. Apply pointers in a real program
  3. Apply arrays in a real program
  4. Apply error handling in a real program

2. Theoretical Foundation

2.1 Core Concepts

  • strings: Core concept needed for this project.
  • pointers: How it shapes correctness and design trade-offs.
  • arrays: Practical rules that impact implementation.

2.2 Why This Matters

These topics appear in production C code constantly and are easiest to learn by building a full end-to-end tool.

2.3 Historical Context / Background

C practices around strings evolved to keep programs portable across compilers and platforms.

2.4 Common Misconceptions

  • Assuming input is always well-formed
  • Forgetting that C does not manage memory for you
  • Ignoring edge cases until late in development

3. Project Specification

3.1 What You Will Build

Implement strlen, strcpy, strcmp, and safe variations with tests.

3.2 Functional Requirements

  1. Implement the core features described above
  2. Validate inputs and handle error cases
  3. Provide a CLI demo and tests

3.3 Non-Functional Requirements

  • Performance: Must handle typical inputs without noticeable delay
  • Reliability: Must reject invalid inputs and fail safely
  • Usability: Output should be readable and consistent

3.4 Example Usage / Output

$ ./strdemo
len("hello") = 5
compare("a","b") = -1

3.5 Real World Outcome

$ ./strdemo
copy -> "world"

4. Solution Architecture

4.1 High-Level Design

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│  Input      │────▶│  Core Logic │────▶│  Output     │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘

Program Flow

4.2 Key Components

Component Responsibility Key Decisions
Core Logic Apply main rules Keep functions small
Output Format results Consistent formatting

4.3 Data Structures

struct StrBuf { char *buf; size_t cap; };

4.4 Algorithm Overview

Key Algorithm: Single-pass processing

  1. Parse input
  2. Process data
  3. Emit output

Complexity Analysis:

  • Time: O(n)
  • Space: O(1)

5. Implementation Guide

5.1 Development Environment Setup

# Build
cc -std=c99 -Wall -Wextra -o demo *.c

5.2 Project Structure

project-root/
├── src/
│   ├── main.c
│   ├── core.c
│   └── core.h
├── tests/
│   └── test_core.c
├── Makefile
└── README.md

Project Structure

5.3 The Core Question You’re Answering

“What do C strings really are, and how do you manipulate them safely?”

5.4 Concepts You Must Understand First

Stop and research these before coding:

  1. Strings
    • What is it and why does it matter here?
    • How will you validate inputs around it?
    • Book Reference: Ch. 13
  2. Pointers
    • What common mistakes happen with this concept?
    • How do you test it?
    • Book Reference: Ch. 13
  3. Arrays
    • What edge cases show up in real programs?
    • How will you observe failures?
    • Book Reference: Ch. 13

5.5 Questions to Guide Your Design

Before implementing, think through these:

  1. What is the smallest input that should work?
  2. What is the riskiest edge case?
  3. Where should errors be reported to the user?

5.6 Thinking Exercise

Sketch a sample input and output by hand, then trace the steps your program must perform to transform one into the other.

5.7 The Interview Questions They’ll Ask

Prepare to answer these:

  1. Explain how strings works in C.
  2. What are common mistakes with pointers?
  3. How do you test edge cases for arrays?
  4. How do you handle errors without exceptions in C?
  5. What would you refactor first in your solution?

5.8 Hints in Layers

Hint 1: Start with the smallest possible input and prove the output. Hint 2: Add validation before adding features. Hint 3: Write tests for edge cases early. Hint 4: Refactor once the behavior is correct.

5.9 Books That Will Help

Topic Book Chapter
Core project concepts “C Programming: A Modern Approach” Ch. 13
C idioms “The C Programming Language” Ch. 1-3
Defensive C “Effective C” Ch. 2-5

5.10 Implementation Phases

Phase 1: Foundation (2-4 hours)

Goals:

  • Set up project structure
  • Implement minimal working path

Tasks:

  1. Create headers and source files
  2. Build a minimal demo

Checkpoint: You can compile and run a basic demo

Phase 2: Core Functionality (4-8 hours)

Goals:

  • Implement main features
  • Handle errors

Tasks:

  1. Add main functions
  2. Add validation and error codes

Checkpoint: All main requirements work with sample inputs

Phase 3: Polish & Edge Cases (2-4 hours)

Goals:

  • Handle edge cases
  • Improve usability

Tasks:

  1. Add tests for edge cases
  2. Clean output and docs

Checkpoint: All tests pass and output is stable

5.11 Key Implementation Decisions

Decision Options Recommendation Rationale
Data representation Array vs struct Struct Clear invariants and interfaces
Error handling Return codes vs global Return codes Easier to test and reason

6. Testing Strategy

6.1 Test Categories

Category Purpose Examples
Unit Tests Test core functions Single input -> expected output
Integration Tests End-to-end CLI Sample input files
Edge Case Tests Boundaries and invalid input Empty input, max values

6.2 Critical Test Cases

  1. Valid input for the happy path
  2. Invalid input that should be rejected
  3. Boundary values and empty input

6.3 Test Data

$ ./strdemo

7. Common Pitfalls & Debugging

7.1 Frequent Mistakes

Pitfall Symptom Solution
Missing input validation Crashes or wrong output Validate inputs early
Off-by-one errors Boundary failures Test edges explicitly
Memory misuse Leaks or crashes Free resources on all paths

7.2 Debugging Strategies

  • Use -Wall -Wextra -fsanitize=address during development
  • Add small debug prints around the failing step

7.3 Performance Traps

Avoid unnecessary copies and repeated scans of the same data.

8. Extensions & Challenges

8.1 Beginner Extensions

  • Add basic configuration flags
  • Improve output formatting

8.2 Intermediate Extensions

  • Support file input and output
  • Add richer error messages

8.3 Advanced Extensions

  • Optimize performance for large inputs
  • Add extra features beyond the original scope

9. Real-World Connections

9.1 Industry Applications

  • Developer tooling: Uses similar parsing and reporting patterns
  • Systems utilities: Requires careful input validation and performance
  • coreutils: Small utilities that mirror these patterns
  • musl: Clean, minimal C implementations

9.3 Interview Relevance

  • strings: Common in systems interviews
  • pointers: Used to test fundamentals

10. Resources

10.1 Essential Reading

  • “C Programming: A Modern Approach” by K.N. King - Ch. 13
  • “The Linux Programming Interface” by Michael Kerrisk - relevant I/O chapters

10.2 Video Resources

  • “YouTube: C programming deep dives”
  • “YouTube: Debugging C with gdb”

10.3 Tools & Documentation

  • GCC/Clang: Compiler and warnings
  • GDB/LLDB: Debugging runtime behavior
  • Previous Project: Linked List Laboratory
  • Next Project: Command-Line Argument Parser

11. Self-Assessment Checklist

Before considering this project complete, verify:

11.1 Understanding

  • I can explain the main concepts without notes
  • I can describe the data flow and key structures
  • I understand why key design decisions were made

11.2 Implementation

  • All functional requirements are met
  • All test cases pass
  • Code is clean and documented
  • Edge cases are handled

11.3 Growth

  • I can identify one improvement for next time
  • I’ve documented lessons learned
  • I can explain this project in an interview

12. Submission / Completion Criteria

Minimum Viable Completion:

  • Functional CLI or library output with sample inputs
  • Clear error handling for invalid inputs
  • Tests for at least 3 edge cases

Full Completion:

  • All minimum criteria plus:
  • Clean project structure with docs
  • Expanded tests for invalid inputs

Excellence (Going Above & Beyond):

  • Performance or UX improvements
  • Extra extensions implemented

This guide was generated from LEARN_C_MODERN_APPROACH_KING.md. For the complete learning path, see the parent directory.