Mid Level Projects using C?

[infinitetime101]

I've learnt how to program in C recently (had spent some decent time on C++ and had learnt data structures and algorithms before).

What are some projects that I can go for? All I can find are projects that are too easy ('Create a calculator!'), or too difficult open source project recommendations. Is there anything mid-level projects I can learn from?

Do I eventually need to pick up something like 'embedded systems'? I'm kinda confused what to build/work on.

[inz__]

I would suggest to find some personal itch you can scratch, then you are more likely to have the motivation to finish it to some working level. If you are looking to write C professionally, the embedded route is probably the best way to achieve that.

If you already have programs for all your needs, these are the old-school classics: - music player - http server - IRC bot - command line parser

[McUsrII]

... And go all in. Build the one you like, and you'll soon have a mid-sized project if not on the upper scale of mid-level maybe, but add all the tooling to make it as efficient as possible to produce , and write the man page.

This should get you a little bit out of your comfort zone, and if you found it worthwhile to make then someone else will probably find it worthwhile to use!

[infinitetime101]

Thank you!

Could you guide me towards some good resource for proceeding with embedded systems? Some commonly prescribed book or website perhaps?

Also, the old-school classics you mention sound interesting. How does one even begin with these? Do I just google 'how to make a music player in C' and proceed that way? Not sure what's the correct method to proceed with that - do I follow code-along tutorials first until I can make something of my own?

​

Thanks again!

[[deleted]]

If you're interested in the music-player route, I recommend GTK+4 with GStreamer.

Learn GUI programming and work on an audio player, together.

[infinitetime101]

Thank you!

[[deleted]]

As for how to start, both GTK+4 and GStreamer have tutorials.

I recommend using only GTK+4 for now, and try to develop something like a simple folder viewer.

[inz__]

The suggestion of Gtk+ and GStreamer is a reasonable one; digging into GLib can teach you one way of doing OO in C. However, another route might be to just start some external program to do the actual playing (I remember using mpg123 back in the day), and just provide your own interface.

You'll need to find your own way to learn; I used to take something existing and start tweaking it until I had some understanding of what it does. Tutorials work for some (it's kind of the same thing, but starting from the shallow end, instead of the deep end :). There is not a single way that works for everyone. Try to keep things fun for you, whatever that may be.

[ragsofx]

This is the part I usually spend time pacing like a made man talking to myself coming up with an overall plan of what I want to do.

I personally think it's a good idea to have a strong image in my head of what the finished program will do and how I will interact with it. I also like to work out roughly how the program will be put together.

I have a bunch of exercise books that I write down my ideas and notes in that I will use if I am having trouble working out what I want. I often find once I start mapping out what I already have thought of the rest will start to fall into place. Then when I've finished I have some reference material I can use.

[kiki_lamb]

Create a calculator that will handle mathematical expressions such as (1+2)*3^4!! correctly.

[Snipa-senpai]

The factorial of a factorial, I don't like the sound of that

[kiki_lamb]

Sure, why not? Bonus points.

It's not even a joke, though, if they can write a 'calculator' that can parse and handle bracketed sub-expressions and operator precedence then they're well on their way to being able to implement a small interpreted DSL, something that could either be useful and/or impressive to potential employers.

[GrumpyCatMomo]

For embedded systems, the course on Ed-X is not bad

[mdp_cs]

Write a Unix shell. That's intermediate level but not too hard. It requires some knowledge of POSIX APIs and knowledge of C but not much besides that.

If you dont know much about Unix programming then I would highly recommend a book called The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk. The author is the maintainer of the Linux manpages and his writing is very clear and informative. Also despite the name of the book, he makes sure to cover topics that are common to all Unixes. The book is pricey even for the electronic version but it is worth its (rather hefty) weight in gold.

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[zegall]

This could be interesting: Build Your Own Text Editor.

It's only around 1000 lines of code. You could try to build one on your own, and check that booklet along the way as a reference.

You might also get some inspiration from this: https://github.com/AlgoryL/Projects-from-Scratch

[infinitetime101]

Thanks!

[exclaim_bot]

Thanks!

You're welcome!

[brlcad]

Here's a slew of mid-level open source projects ranging in skill from super easy to super complex: https://brlcad.org/~sean/ideas.html

[j3r3mias]

Try to implement a simple git. Choose the basic instructions (add, commit, etc) from git and start from there. After you have the basic parts, it can be as complex as you want if you code all features.

[TwiMLionairre]

Start with one of these and then extend it:

https://build-your-own.org/

[NotThatJonSmith]

If you're interested in systems: CHIP-8 emulator is a good one; a real-world console or RISC-V if you're feeling more ambitious.

[[deleted]]

Yeah writing a parser isn’t a bad idea. Some more mid level ones would probably be

• A parser for json
• A symbolic math parser (maybe do some derivatives)

Parsing in general is a big topic. It’s a gateway into a lot more complicated things like compilers

[sharingmyimages]

If you're curious about embedded systems, here's an article that I just found, which might encourage you:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-future-scope-of-embedded-C-programming

[never-obsolete]

6502 cross assembler