CSCI 270 General Policy for Programming Assignments
Summer 2005
DUE DATES
To receive full credit, each programming assignment must be handed in on the due date no later than
the closing time of the CSCI labs. If you skip class on the day a program is due, it is automatically one
day late even if handed in later that day.
Programs may be turned in after the due date for partial credit. You will lose up to 5% of the total points for
each day the program is late (a day is a school day MTWRF, not including weekends or holidays). No
program will be accepted for credit after the graded programs for that assignment have been handed back.
PROGRAMMING STYLE
Each program you turn in must contain an initial block of comments with this information:
1) your name
2) the class
3) the assignment number
4) the C++ compiler you are using if it is not Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003
5) the main function file should name all of your source files needed to run the program
6) a detailed statement of the purpose of the program -- assume the reader has not seen the program
assignment and needs a general understanding of what your program does and how it works
The program should contain sufficient additional comments to clarify what you're doing. A reader of the
program should be able to determine from the comments alone a general idea of what is happening without
actually having to decipher any code. Avoid redundant comments which don't add to the reader's
comprehension. Good comments explain why you're doing something or what it means in the context of
the program.
Here's an example of what I consider to be helpful comments in code searching for the largest value in an
array. Also notice how the variable names are chosen to describe the values the names represent.
hiVal = arr[0]; // Assume first element's value is largest
hiSub = 0; // Remember position of largest value
n = 1; // Start searching with the second element
while (n < MAX) // Look at each element
{
if (arr[n] > hiVal) // If this element value is larger than previous largest found,
{
hiVal = arr[n]; // save it as largest,
hiSub = n; // and remember its position
}
n++; // Look at the next element
} // end of loop to find the largest element
Modularize your programs. The main function should have minimal references to implementation-dependent
details. Unless a particular assignment states otherwise, only file variables may be declared globally;
all other variables used by a function must be declared locally or passed as parameters. Every
program module should have a block of comments explaining what the module does.
Make your classes general and flexible for maximum reusability. Provide class access functions to return
private variable values so that clients can code their own functions for operations the class implementer
didn't anticipate.
Choose reasonably descriptive identifiers to name variables, constants, functions, classes, etc. Single-
character identifiers are unacceptable except for variables like subscripts and loop-control variables (and a
more descriptive identifier is recommended for these variables whenever it is appropriate).
Please use at least minimal indentation standards such as indenting statements within a loop, aligning the
clauses of IF statements, etc. This will not only make me happier but will also make your life easier in
reading and debugging your own programs. Following the coding styles used in the Nyhoff book
programming examples would be one way of choosing a good coding style. In any case, whatever style you
choose be consistent in applying it throughout your code.
Use blank lines liberally to separate sections of your program, and use extra spacing within a statement to
enhance readability.
