Program Requirements

• All files you submit should have the correct names, as indicated in the assignment. Readme files should all be called 'readme'. If you don't understand how you can have a readme file named 'readme' for every assignment, ask me.
  
• Your code should have some comments in it.
  
• Your readme file should include your name/precept #/assignment number. It should have a brief summary of your programs (1-3 sentences). Describe key parts of your algorithm: I want to know how you solved the problems. I don't want you to paraphrase the assignment: I know what it says. Be sure to mention any problems you had completing the assignment and any questions you still have. Describe any restrictions your program has: will it only work for certain input or certain compilers?

Comments 

When you write code for programming assignments, you should include comments. A comment looks like this: /* this is a comment */ It is text preceded by a slash and an asterisk and followed by an asterisk and a slash. The compiler will ignore everything between the slashes. The purpose of a comment is to make your code more readable by a human.

When you program, when and how to comment your code is a personal decision. It does not affect the "right-ness" of your programs. However, when you are programming assignments that will be read by someone else, it is important that you comment your code in a way that makes it easier to read for that person. In particular, for this course, your preceptor may have specific guidelines about when and how to comment. If you are in my precept, here are some general guidelines:

• Comment major blocks of code. For example, in the first programming assignment, you will probably have a section of code that handles the case in which you will 'buy' a stock. It's appropriate to write a brief comment like: /* buy case */
  
• Don't paraphrase your code. For example, if you have a for loop that looks like this:

  for (i = 0; i < 10; i++)
  {
      sum = sum + i;
  }

  a bad comment would be:
  /*this loop initializes i to 0 and it repeats while i is less than 10 and i increases by 1 each time and each time through the loop, you add i to sum */
  That comment is bad for several reasons: it's long and wordy & it doesn't tell you anything that you can't see by reading the code. A better comment for this loop might be:
  /* computes sum of all integers from 0 to 9 */

  Try to write comments that describe the intention of the code.

• It's usually appropriate to write comments about the purpose of your variables
  
• Definitely write a comment if you're using a 'trick' or some clever piece of code to do something. If your solution is unusual, a comment is a good place to briefly explain what you're doing.
  

  Don't worry too much about your comments. I'll give you feedback on your first couple of assignments if I don't like how you're writing them.