University of Toronto - Winter 2007
Department of Computer Science

CSC 324: Principles of Programming Languages

Assignment Code Requirements
and Marking Information

CDF:

  • All code must run on CDF.
  • If you develop your code at home and then print your code on CDF for submission, it is your responsibility to make sure the code looks as you intended; for example, if tabs expand to 2cm and this ruins your indentation, you must correct it before submission to ensure appropriate principles of style.

    Error Checking:
    Use programming-by-contract (E.g., text1, text2). You have to mention the pre-conditions and post-conditions for each function in your solution. Here is an example of documented code.

    Test Cases:
    You must provide few, well-chosen test cases for each problem. Read Diane Horton's document on testing for further guidance.

    Discrepancies:
    In the case of a discrepancy between material handed in on paper, and material submitted electronically, electronically submitted material will be used. (E.g., if you electronically submit code, but what you hand in refers to different code, the code that was electronically submitted will be used for marking purposes.)

    Marking:
  • Your code will be marked for correctness, programming style and documentation.
  • You must demonstrate proper testing.
  • In general, simple solutions are preferred and will receive the most marks.
  • The marker has a limited amount of time for each assignment, so it is your responsibility to provide documentation and testing that allows him/her to quickly evaluate your work.


    General Coding Guidelines for CSC324 Assignments

    Correctness
    The program should conform to the specifications for which it was written. It should include correct handling of special cases, except that you may assume that input will be provided in the specified format (i.e. you can use programming-by-contract)

    Design and Efficiency
    The program should be constructed from small, coherent, independent and loosely coupled functions. Each function should access only its own parameters. The control constructs and data structures used should be those appropriate to the problem at hand. The program should not perform unnecessary steps, use extraneous variables, nor implement the algorithm in a contorted or inefficient way.

    Style and Documentation
    The program should conform to generally accepted principles of style, such as a consistent pattern of indentation, use of meaningful identifiers, generous use of space, etc. Internal documentation should include program and function headers, and in-line comments to clarify the code.

    Knowledge of the language
    The program should provide evidence of your familiarity with the principal control constructs, operators, built-in functions, and data structuring facilities of the assigned language.
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