Course Intro

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# CSCI-UA 102
## Data Structures

## The Art of Code Reading

.author[
Instructor: Joanna Klukowska 
]

.license[
Copyright 2025 Joanna Klukowska. Unless noted otherwise all content is released under a 
[Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). 
Background image by Stewart Weiss ]

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## Poll 
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.bottom-left[© Joanna Klukowska. CC-BY-SA.]

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## Why do I need to read code

- understanding existing code base

- debugging skills

- code review

- learning new things

- code interviews

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## Process of reading a new codebase

- __get a big picture__ - run the code if possible to see what it does, understand the purpose of the whole program and its general behavior

- __understand the structure__ - look at the files, how are they organized, what do they contain where is the entry point for the program, if available, read the top level documentation for each file/class

- __study the overall logic__ - look at the _big_ code blocks and functions, what is the flow of the program

- __dive into details__ - start reading functions and code blocks more carefully, determine data structures that are used, figure out any parts that are unclear

- __test-drive the program__ - once you understand more of the code, run the program and try to break it, what assumptions does it make about the _outside world behavior_, are there situations that it cannot handle

- __analyze the performance__ - think through data structures and algorithms to analyze overall performance of the program, can things be improved or optimized

- __study each piece__ - analyze each class and function, can they be used outside of the context of this program, how, what issues might come up if they are

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## Things that may help

- take notes

- draw diagrams

- read the available README files and documentation (both class level, function level and inline)

- write questions about parts you do not understand or that are confusing

- ask questions

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