Common C Programming Terminology
April 26, 2012
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Following are many common terms used in C programming today. This list is not to be taken as all-inclusive or a complete glossary, but more as a beginner’s list of the terminology used for C programming. For a more in-depth list of all the terms used in C programming, you’ll want to purchase a C programming dictionary, trade book, or guide book.
Adopt - a class adopts a protocol if it declares that it implements all the methods in the protocol. By listing their names between angle brackets in a class or category declaration, protocols can be adopted.
Archiving - the process of preserving data structure for later use.
Asynchronous Message - a remote message that returns immediately, without waiting for the application that receives the message to respond.
Category - a set of method definitions that is segregated from the rest of the class definition, and can be used to split a class definition into parts or to add methods to an existing class.
Class - a prototype for a particular kind of object, class definitions declare instance variables and defines methods for all members of the class.
Class Method - a method that can operate on class objects instead of instances of the class.
Class Object - an object that represents a class and knows how to create new instances of the class.
Dynamic Allocation - operating system provides memory to a running application as the application needs it, instead of when the application launches
Formal Protocol - protocols that are declared with the @protocol directive.
id - the general type for any kind of object regardless of class, it acts as a pointer to an object data structure
Instance - an object that belongs to a particular class. Instances are created at runtime according to the specification of the class definition.
Object - a programming unit that groups together a data structure and the operations that can use or affect that data.
Protocol - the declaration of a group of methods not associated with any particular class
Runtime - the time of a program after it is launched and running.
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