### Fall 2017 :: ECE 264 :: Purdue University

This is for Fall 2017 (2 years ago) only.
Due 10/27

# Maze #2 (E)

## Overview

This is the second step (after HW09) toward HW11, in which you will “solve” a maze problem. This time, you will do the following:

1. Read a maze in a multi-line file into a 2D array of characters.
2. Write a maze from a 2D array of characters into a multi-line file.
3. Expand an $h \times w$ maze into a $(2h - 1) \times w$ maze (h = # of rows; w = # of columns; both h and w are odd).
4. Expand an $h \times w$ maze into a $h \times (2w - 1)$ maze.

The remainder of the explanation for this assignment is in the Requirements table and Q&A (below).

## Requirements

1. Your submission must contain each of the following files, as specified:
file contents
maze.c functions
malloc maze(int num rows, int num cols)
return type: Maze✶
Allocate heap memory for a maze, and initialize the num_rows and num_cols fields.
1. Allocate space for the Maze and its cells field.
2. You may assume num_rows and num_cols are >0.
3. Hint: This will call malloc(…) twice.
4. If allocation fails, free any memory successfully allocated by this function prior to the failure, and then return NULL.
6. You cannot declare a variable of type Maze and then return its address. When the function returns, that variable's space will be deallocated (i.e., garbage). You must use the heap for this.
free maze(Maze✶ maze)
return type: void
Free heap memory for a maze.
1. You must free the cells and the Maze itself.
2. If maze is NULL, do nothing. (This mimicks the behavior of free(…).)
return type: Maze✶
Read a maze from a multi-line file.
1. The file will be in the 2D format specified in HW09 and illustrated by sample.2.7x9.
2. Return the address of a new Maze object on the heap.
3. Initialize all fields of the new Maze object with the maze data in the file.
4. Use your malloc_maze(…) to allocate the heap memory for the new Maze object.
write maze(const char✶ filename, const Maze✶ maze)
return type: bool
Write a maze to a file.
1. Write the contents of maze to a new file with the name specified by filename.
2. Follow the 2D format specified in HW09 and illustrated by sample.2.7x9. The file created by this function will contain exactly maze->num_rows newline characters.
3. Do not open or close any file from within this function. You may, of course, write to the file referred to by fp, but do not close it or open any other file.
4. Be sure to close the file within this function.
5. Return true if successful, or false if there was an error writing the file.
make taller(const Maze✶ orig)
return type: Maze✶
• Create a new Maze object maze based on orig, but with height orig->num_rows * 2 - 1.
• The width of the new maze should be the same as orig (i.e., orig->num_cols).
• The top half of the new maze should be the same as orig.
• The bottom half of the new maze should be a reflection of orig.
• Example:  orig make_taller(orig) XXXXX XXX X X X XXX XXX X X X X X X XXXXX X X XXXXX XXX XXXXX XXX X X X XXX XXX X X X X X X XXXXX X X XXXXX XXX X X X X XXXXX X X X X X XXX XXX X X XXXXX XXX
• Do not modify orig.
• Use your malloc_maze(…) to allocate the heap memory for the new Maze object.
• Calling this function should not result in any calls to fopen(…) or fclose(…), or free(…).
• In case of allocation failure, return NULL.
make wider(const Maze✶ orig)
return type: Maze✶
• This is very similar to make_taller(…) but you will need some extra steps to ensure the paths in the left and right hemispheres of the new maze are connected as one maze.
• Create a new Maze object maze based on orig, but with width orig->num_cols * 2 - 1.
• The height of the new maze should be the same as orig (i.e., orig->num_rows).
• The left half of the new maze should be the same as orig.
• The right half of the new maze should be a reflection of orig.
• Create an opening between the left and right halves at the middle row of the new maze.
• Ensure that this opening is accessible from paths in both halves of your new maze by horizontal and vertical movements.
• If needed, you may convert WALL locations to PATH locations, but only within the middle row.
• Do not convert more WALL locations to PATH locations than necessary to ensure that the paths in the two halves are connected. This means you can't just change an entire row to PATH as a shortcut.
• You may assume that all paths in orig are contiguous (i.e., no bubbles).
• Example:  orig make_wider(orig) XXXXX XXX X X X XXX XXX X X X X X X XXXXX X X XXXXX XXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX X X X X XXX XXXXX XXX X X X X X X X X X XXXXXXXXX X X X X X XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
• Do not modify orig.
• Use your malloc_maze(…) to allocate the heap memory for the new Maze object.
• Calling this function should not result in any calls to fopen(…) or fclose(…), or free(…).
• In case of allocation failure, return NULL.
test_maze.c functions
main(int argc, char✶ argv[])
return type: int
Test all of the six required functions in your maze.c.
• Running your main(…) should cover all of your code, except for the parts that deal with allocation and file errors. (Testing error handling code is a standard practice, but takes more setup than we expect from you at this point.)
expected.txt output Expected output from running your test_maze.c.
2. If you choose to reuse any of your functions from HW09, they should be converted to helper functions. That means the name should begin with '_' and they should not be listed in maze.h. (Hint: You probably won't need any of them.)
3. Newline characters should not be stored in the cells field of Maze objects in memory.
4. Make no assumptions about the order in which functions will be called. Each function must work as specified, even if we call them in some strange and unpredictable fashion.
5. Do not print error messages or anything else on stdout (i.e., with printf(…))—from your maze.c. Your test_maze.c may print to the terminal.
6. Do not modify maze.h.
7. Refer to PATH and WALL only by those names, and not by the character constants ' ' and 'X'.
8. Do not include a main(…) in maze.c. (→ zero credit, since we won't be able to compile.)
9. Submissions must meet the code quality standards and the course policies on homework and academic integrity.

## Submit

To submit HW10, type 264submit HW10 maze.c test_maze.c expected.txt from inside your hw10 directory.

## Pre-tester ●

The pre-tester for HW10 has been released and is ready to use.

# Q&A

1. How much work is this?
Here's a tight solution, to illustrate the relative complexity of the functions in this exercise. Note that your free_maze(…) will most likely be longer. (cloc reports 83 sloc for the whole file.)
Click to expand. In case of any discrepency, the requirements table above takes precedence over anything in this image. You may copy anything you see in this image.
2. How should I approach make_wider(…)?
XXXXX XXX
X       X
XXXXX X X
X     XXX
X XXXXX X
X       X
XXXXX XXX
If you simply create the expansion in the manner used for make_taller(…) you would have this:
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
X       X       X
XXXXX X X X XXXXX
X     XXXXX     X
X XXXXX X XXXXX X
X       X       X
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
Notice how you can't move between the paths in the left and right halves of this maze.
Adding a PATH to the middle row and middle column isn't quite enough because you would need diagonal movement to go between the two hemispheres.
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
X       X       X
XXXXX X X X XXXXX
X     XX XX     X
X XXXXX X XXXXX X
X       X       X
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
The solution is to start at that center cell, but then keep expanding to the left and right until there is a PATH immediately above or below, or to the left and right.
This is the correct result for the example above:
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
X       X       X
XXXXX X X X XXXXX
X     X   X     X
X XXXXX X XXXXX X
X       X       X
XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX
Note: Someone pointed out the "correct" result above is actually from the wrong example. I will fix later today. The principle is correct, but it's the wrong maze. [10/20/2017 11:15 AM]
3. Is it okay if the result of make_wider(…) contains four openings (two on top, two on bottom)?
Yes.
4. Why isn't the amaze utiity included in the starter code?
You can copy it from HW09.
5. Why isn't there a starter maze.c?
By now, you should be comfortable creating a new C file from scratch. Be careful when writing the function signatures.
6. Why do some parameters include const?
The const qualifier tells the compiler that you don't intend to modify those parameters, so that it can give you an error in case you accidentally do so. This page has a good explanation about const.
7. How do I know if my tests in main(…) are comprehensive?
Make sure you have at least called each of the six functions in meaningful way. You can also use the gcov tool (available on ecegrid) if you wish. gcov is optional.
8. Are you going to test if my tests in main(…) are comprehensive?
We might. We are looking into this. If we do, we'll probably use gcov. Either way, if you don't test your code, it is virtually impossible to get it working. We added this requirement mainly as an impetus to get you focused on your testing. Even if we don't test the comprehensiveness (aka “test coverage”) we will definitely test your main(…) in the way that was done for HW06.
9. What is gcov?
Google it. The first result explains it as well as we can.
10. What should my main(…) output?
It's up to you. Printing the contents of a maze before and after each operation is a possibility.
11. Is there a utility function I can use to print mazes?
No, but you can easily make one using fgetc(…) and fputc(…). This example from Prof. Quinn's 10/13 lecture might get you started. You may copy and adapt a few lines from that, but you wouldn't want to copy the whole thing.
12. Is it okay if main(…) prints to the console?
Yes.
13. What should be in my expected.txt?
This is just like HW02. An illustration of how to approach your main(…) and expected.txt can be found in this Piazza post.
14. For make_wider(…) and make_taller(…), does the middle cell need to lead to a path all the way to the maze opening?
No. You just need to connect some path cell on one side to a path cell on the other side. If you had some reasonable interpretation of this that was different from ours, feel free to let us know after scores are out. We will try to accomodate any reasonable interpretation that does not directly violate the specification.
15. What arguments will you pass to my test code when uou call it??
None.
Don't see your question? Check the Q&A HW09 or try Piazza.