Questions will be answered here.

How strong a requirement is it that no lines in our programs be longer than 79 characters?

When we evaluate your project, we primarily look at your code on our screens, and it's not a problem if lines are somewhat longer. However, people use different font sizes and wrap-around lines are a pain, so try to avoid extremely long line. Occasional long lines is not a problem in this context. Another issue is the oral examination. Due to the rapid succession of students, we have to use a simple and fast format for discussing your code. I may use my laptop, but might also prepare transparencies for this (depending on the possibilities in the examination room). If your lines are no longer than 79 characters, then you are guaranteed that the code you see during the exam has the same layout you're used to. If you have long lines, they will wrap around. If nearly every line does this, it's really hard to read, and you may get confused or be too slow at explaining what you see on the slide. When I prepare the code questions, and I observe this, I may try to improve on it by fixing some of the wrap-around lines. This will improve readability, but will of course imply that what you see on the slide is not your own layout. If you completely ignore the requirement and have all long lines, I may decide that there's no reasonable fix, and you may be presented with something like this: ManyReallyLongLines.c.

How do you ensure that the code you show at the exam is written by the student you are examinating?

Obviously, I can't. This is one reason why all group members are responsible for all code, independent of who has written it. You must know the code written by fellow group members as well as your own.

 

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