COMP1100: Introduction to Programming and Algorithms

(6 units) Group A
First Semester

Thirty one-hour lectures and nine two-hour tutorial/laboratory sessions

Lecturer: Dr Peter Strazdins and Dr Henry Gardner

Assumed Prior Knowledge

Students are assumed to have achieved a level of knowledge of mathematics comparable to at least ACT Advanced maths major or NSW 2 unit maths or equivalent.

Syllabus

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of programming from an object-oriented perspective. These principles are applied in a study of straightforward algorithms for searching and sorting. It provides a foundation for studies in computer science, information systems and software engineering.

The following topics are covered: basic concepts of programming (data types, assignment, control structures, the procedural abstraction), basic concepts of object-oriented programming (class, object, attributes, routines), library classes for basic datatypes, straightforward algorithms for search and searching, object-oriented methods (class inheritance, assertions on routines, design by contract).

The course has a strong practical emphasis, with required attendance at laboratory sessions.

Description

This course provides an introduction to the basic principles of programming from an object-oriented perspective. Specifically, it studies the following basic concepts of object-oriented programming through their implementation in the Java programming language:

class (static) and object (dynamic), class features (attributes and routines), basic attribute types (booleans, integers, characters and reals), routine bodies (local attributes, statements (assignment, conditional, loop, routine call)), routine parameters, run-time structures (object store (heap), activation stack), class inheritance.

The course uses the ``consumer before producer'' viewpoint, in which the student programmer is a consumer of existing software (studying exemplar programs, and using library classes) before moving to be a producer of software components (first by extending and modifying existing classes).

Rationale

This is the first course in the curriculum for the BInfTech and BSEng degrees, and in the study of the computing discipline in the BSc degree. It is based on the conviction that modern object-oriented methods can deliver software systems that are extensible, reusable and reliable, across a wide range of problem domains. The object-oriented perspective, then, is taken from the very start.

It is the first of a sequence of courses (COMP1100, COMP1110, COMP2100) with a primary focus on the object-oriented approach to the implementation of software systems. The development of an object-oriented approach to design and then to analysis is carried out in subsequent courses.

Ideas

This course carries the main responsibility for the introduction of the following ideas and skills:

the basic concepts of an imperative programming language (data structures and algorithms) and the execution of programs in that language (run-time structures),
the main concepts of an object-oriented programming language and their implementation in that language,
program maintenance and development using an editor (Emacs) and compiler in the context of a conventional operating system (Unix), and
the systematic use of an agreed programming style (layout, name convention, documentation).

This course shares the responsibility for the introduction of the following ideas and skills:

an appreciation of the main concepts in modern computing,
data structures and algorithms, and
the engineering of software systems (analysis, design, implementation and testing).

Topics

The following topics will be covered:

the basic concepts of imperative programming: data types, basic instructions (assignment, routine call), basic control structures (sequence, conditional, loop),
the basic concepts of an object-oriented programming language (class, object, attributes, routines (functions and procedures)),
library classes representing basic data types (booleans, integers, characters, floating point) and aggregate data types (strings, arrays),
the run-time structures of an OO language (object store (heap), activation stack, current object, memory management),
elements of algorithms (techniques using iteration, loop invariants, simple solutions to search and sort problems),
abstraction mechanisms (design by contract, assertions) and extendibility mechanisms (class inheritance, generic classes).

Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to do the following.

Describe the concepts of an object-oriented programming language.
Given the specification of a simple task, write a program to perform that task.
Explain the essentials of straightforward algorithms for searching and sorting.
In the context of a program involving several programmer-written classes and several library classes:
- systematically determine program properties such as class relationships (client diagram, inheritance diagram) and flow properties (control flow diagram, data flow diagram),
- systematically determine the run-time behaviour of the program, and
- write a narrative description of selected program properties.
Given an appropriate specification, modify the behaviour of a given program within its design and architecture by such techniques as
- changing relevant program parameters,
- modification of relevant routine bodies,
- class extension, and
- construction of new classes.

Technical Skills

Upon completion of the course the student will be able to use a modern GUI-based computer system (Unix, KDE) to perform the following tasks:

find and utilize resources on the world-wide web using a modern browser (Mozilla),
read and send e-mail,
selectively read web-based forums,
construct directory subsystems to support laboratory and assignment tasks,
use a modern editor system to write simple text documents,
use a modern Integrated Developemnt Environment (DrJava) to write, compile and execute programs.

The student will be able to use a command interface (shell) to perform basic tasks.