Malloc and calloc function, Operating System

Assignment Help:

Note that the parameter for scanf doesn't need the address operators & because name is an address. However the variable name has no defined space. This can cause problems within C and we really should define the space .Within C we can allocate space by means of character array or system functions namely malloc, free and calloc.If we declare a character array, it also reserves the space required for that string (After all a string is a collection i.e. array of characters). Therefore the program becomes

    #include stdio.h
    void main()
    {
    char prompt;
    /*Author : Mr James Mc Carren  
    Company: Staffordshire University  
     Date: 26th August 2012  
    Version 1.0  
    Function : String storing using static storage       
     Modifications:   none*/
    char name[20];
    scanf("%s",name);
    printf("your name is %s \n\r",name);  
    printf("Press and key to exit \n\r");
    scanf("\n%c",&prompt);
    }
This allocates 20 spaces to the string name, however if we wish to input a 50 character  string , we would need to re-compile the program , an alternative is to use Malloc/Free .Malloc checks during run time whether there is enough  space left and if there is it allocated it while Free  releases the space allocated to a variable .The syntax for malloc/Free is  
 
     variable = ( char *)malloc(char size);
     free(variable);
 
Therefore the program becomes
 
    #include stdio.h
    #include stdlib.h
    void main()
    {
    char prompt;
   
     Date: 26th August 2012 
    Version 1.0 
    Function : String storing using dynamic allocation       
     Modifications:   none*/
      char *name;
      name = (char *)malloc(20);
      if (name == NULL) 
      {
      printf("Cannot allocate memory\n\r");
      exit(1);
      }
      scanf("%s",name);
      printf("your name is %s \n\r",name); 

      free(name);  
    printf("Press and key to exit \n\r");
    scanf("\n%c",&prompt);
    }

  Because Malloc allocates memory dynamically, we must place a trap routine to detect when the microprocessor cannot allocate memory (i.e. memory full), in this case malloc returns a NULL character back as the address of the variable i.e. This routine would detect the NULL character and exit the program .Note that malloced space is similar to a variable in that its life span is automatically terminated when a free command is used or the function where it was allocated ends no matter what you make read - this is not the case in C++  
 
      if (name == NULL) 
      {
      printf("Cannot allocate memory\n\r");
      exit(1);
      }
 
Therefore we could allocate a scratch pad of memory using malloc and we can poke around in that
area e.g.
 
  #include
    #include
    void main()
    { 
    char prompt;  
  
     Date: 26th August 2012
    Version 1.0 
Function : Dynamic allocation  of windows pointr area i.e segmented memory     
     Modifications:   none*/
 
      char *name;
      unsigned long int address;
      unsigned char *add;
      unsigned char data;
      name = (char *)malloc(0x4000);
      if (name == NULL) 
      {
      printf("Cannot allocate memory\n\r");
      exit(1);
      }
printf("Your segment area is %08lx to %08lx\n\r",name,name+(unsigned long int)0x4000);
printf("Please enter in the address  you want to read in the segment area\n\r");
scanf("%lx",&address);
add = (unsigned char *)address;
data = *add;
printf("The data at the address %08lx is %02x\n\r",address,data); 
printf("Press and key to exit \n\r");
scanf("\n%c",&prompt);
}


Related Discussions:- Malloc and calloc function

Use of c and c++, One reason to learn C and C++ is simply that so much soft...

One reason to learn C and C++ is simply that so much software is written in these languages. A related, butmore fundamental reason, is that C and C++ are relatively low-level, allo

Exdplain many-to-many model, Many-to-Many Model The many-to-many model-...

Many-to-Many Model The many-to-many model- many user-level threads to many kernel-level threads avoids several of the limitations of the one-to-one model, although extending mu

Networking protocols, Modern networks are not implemented as a single piece...

Modern networks are not implemented as a single piece of software; that would render the task of dealing with multiple technologies and manufacturers virtually impossible. The solu

Explain memory management using link lists, MEMORY MANAGEMENT USING LINK LI...

MEMORY MANAGEMENT USING LINK LISTS The first one is for showing it is process or hole, second is for starting address and third is for length of the process and last is a point

CPU, TURNAROUND TIME

TURNAROUND TIME

Explain single level directory structure, Single level directory: This ...

Single level directory: This is the easiest directory structure. All the files are controlled in the same directory, which is simple to support and understand. Few of the li

What are the advantages of multi threading?, What are the advantages of mul...

What are the advantages of multi threading?  Multithreading a code can have several advantages. Improve application responsiveness --Any program in which var

What is the use of FIFOs in client-server applications, What is the use of ...

What is the use of FIFOs in client-server applications

Explain tree structured directories structure, Tree structured directories:...

Tree structured directories: This is the main common directory structure. The tree has a root directory as well as every file in the system has a unique path name. A directory

Data races, Research the phenomenon of data races. Give an example of how...

Research the phenomenon of data races. Give an example of how an unprotected data race can give rise to data inconsistency. How do OpenMP and Cilk resolve this problem? Data

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd