COSC 3319

Here are some of the resources that will help you get through COSC 3319. These are all resources that I personally found to be helpful, and I hope that they are of good use to you.

That being said, the resources shared on this page are for Ada and GNAT Studio. The resources provided by Dr. Burris are sufficient for learning and test material. However, you will be provided with code written in Ada in Blackboard. Also, I would recommend doing all of his labs in Ada. Otherwise, he is likely to take off points for the "Implementation Fee"

Helpful Resources:

• Ada
  • Ada 95 Quality and Style Guide
  • WIKIBOOKS: Ada Programming
  • Ada Tutorial, by AdaCore
  • Ada Reference Manual
• GNAT

  First and foremost, if you are using an operating system other than Windows, you are likely to have a harder time installing GNAT. If you happen to be using an non-Windows OS, consider using the free VMWare subscription offered to students at SHSU to make a virtual machine with Windows installed. I apologize if I miss any information necessary for linux and MAC users, I just found the best things I could find online and linked them below.

  • GNAT Reference Manual
  • GNAT User’s Guide for Native Platforms
  • Link to download GNAT Studio

    • In the sections below, there will be links to tutorials that will help you in setting up the GNAT Studio and GCC
    • I would recommend downloading the 'Community' Edition of GNAT Studio. It's free.
    • Be sure that the file you are downloading matches the OS, operating system, that you are using.

    Here is how to navigate the page:

    
    
    

    In order for you to be able to compile any of the code written in GNAT Studio, make sure that you have GCC, GNU Compiler Collection, installed. You can check for this by opening a terminal or command prompt and enterin gthe following command: gcc -v. If it is installed, you will be presented with the version of gcc that you have installed, otherwise, there will be an error message of some sort.

    To install gcc on linux, open a terminal and enter the command: sudo apt install gcc

    Here is a tutorial to set up GNAT Studio: https://docslib.org/doc/6777556/installing-gnat-in-linux-and-unix

    For linux users, you may also need to change the permissions on the file you download:

    

    To install gcc and GNAT on MAC, it is not so simple. There are helpful tutorials available on Youtube. As far as I know, it is pretty difficult. Here is a helpful tutorial: https://sites.radford.edu/~nokie/classes/320/compileInstall.html

    Installing GNAT on windows is somewhat similar, so once you download the correct file, run it and follow the prompts accordingly

    Here is a helpful video from Adacore showing the installation process of the GNAT studio on windows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMQn_M-9Kmw

    Once you reach this point, all that is left to do is make a project. Once you open the new software you just installed, do the following:

    1. Click on 'Create new project'
    2. Click on 'Simple Ada Project'
    3. Be sure to rename the main file to something unique, or that you store every new project in a different folder in your directory. I would highly advise you do this for the following reasons:
       • Prevention of data loss
         • Having all of your projects in the same folder AND having all of your main files named as 'main' will lead to you losing entire projects in the event that you open a new project will working on an existing one
       • Organization
    4. Make sure to hit the 'build all' button to build your projects before running them
    5. Change the color theme: Go to the nav bar and click >Edit>Preferences>Color Theme
  • Here is the source code for the following practice project(and the whole website): https://github.com/anonode/GNAT-Ada-Tutorial

    • 

    Click on 'Create new project'

    • 

    Click on 'Simple Ada Project'

    • 

    Find a place to store your project

    • 

    Change both 'Project Name' and 'Main Name' to something meaningful

    • 

    Here is some dummy code that will calculate the weight of n-number of crates(each one weighs kgs)

    There is nothing advanced happening here, but the point is to demonstrate some of the syntax used in Ada

    • 

    To make a package, right-click on the 'src' folder, navigate to 'New', and then click on 'Ada Package'

    • 

    Give the package you make a decent name

    • 

    Note that in the .ads file, you only need to specify the functions or procedures to be utilized.

    This is similar to using interfaces in Java, where the .ads file is analagous to the interface(skeleton code), and the .adb is analogous to the implementation of the skeleton

    • 

    And that is how to make a package, and use it in your program.

General Tips

• Take the time to develop a study technique that works for you
• Make time to study.
  • While this may seem trivial, it is important that you give yourself the best chances at passing exams by studying material as early as you can
• Get adequate sleep, exercise, nutrition, and hydration
• If possible, go to class
• Participate in the lecture, and ask questions if you have them
• Find a study group, and make sure these are people who want to concentrate as much as you do