C Programming for Python Users

Many scientific modelling programs are written in C, as it is one of the most popular programming languages used by the HPC community. This course covers the basic concepts of C programming, including syntax, core features, and best practices. It targets students and researchers who started their coding journey with Python and would like to learn a low level programming language in depth. Those with some basic C knowledge will also likely learn something new.

Note that although C++ is not covered directly, the vast majority of the content is directly transferable as a starting point for learning C++.

If you have any questions regarding this training, please contact training.nci@anu.edu.au.

Prerequisites

1. Experience with Python/programming logic.
2. Experience with bash or similar Unix shells.
   
3. Having a valid NCI account and vp91 membership
4. The training session is driven on the NCI ARE service. You can find relevant documentations here: ARE User Guide.

Learning Outcomes

• Gain confidence reading and writing C code
• Understand pointers, references, and memory management
• Understand basic principles for writing safe, maintainable C code
• Know how to begin a project
• Gain the prerequisite knowledge for 'Introduction to OpenMP' and 'Introduction to MPI' NCI HPC Toolkit courses.

Topics Covered

• Types, Operators, and Expressions
• Branching and Iteration
• Functions
• Scope and Extent
• Pointers
• Arrays and Strings
• Dynamic Memory
• Structures
• GDB