Common Pitfalls and Debugging

1. Introduction

From JavaScript Error Handling to C Debugging

In JavaScript, you have automatic memory management and runtime error checking. In C, you must manually manage memory and be aware of potential pitfalls that can cause crashes, memory leaks, and undefined behavior.

💡 Key Concept: C debugging requires understanding low-level memory management, pointer operations, and using appropriate tools to identify and fix issues.

2. Pointer Errors and Segmentation Faults

3. Memory Leaks

4. Buffer Overflows

5. Undefined Behavior

6. Debugging Tools

7. Common Pitfalls

• Dereferencing null pointers: Always check pointers before use
• Memory leaks: Always free allocated memory
• Buffer overflows: Check bounds before array access
• Integer overflow: Check limits before arithmetic operations
• Use after free: Set pointers to NULL after freeing
• Uninitialized variables: Always initialize variables before use

8. Exercises

1. Write a program that demonstrates and fixes common pointer errors.
2. Create a memory leak detector for your programs.
3. Implement safe versions of string and array functions.
4. Use debugging tools to find and fix bugs in existing code.

9. Performance Analysis

• Debug builds: Include debugging information and checks
• Release builds: Optimize for performance, remove debug code
• Memory profiling: Monitor memory usage and leaks
• Performance profiling: Identify bottlenecks and optimize

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Summary: Understanding common C pitfalls and debugging techniques is crucial for writing reliable programs. Use appropriate tools and follow best practices to avoid and fix issues.