CH /ˌsiːˈeɪtʃ/ is a proprietary cross-platform C and C++ interpreter and scripting language environment. It was originally designed by Harry Cheng as a scripting language for beginners to learn mathematics, computing, numerical analysis (numeric methods), and programming in C/C++. Ch is now developed and marketed by SoftIntegration, Inc., with multiple versions available, including a freely available student edition, and a CH Professional Edition for Raspberry Pi which is free for non-commercial use.
| Original author(s) | Harry H. Cheng |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | SoftIntegration, Inc. |
| Initial release | October 1, 2001 |
| Stable release | 8.0.0 / November 19, 2017 |
| Written in | C |
| Operating system | Windows, OS X, Linux, AIX, HP-UX, Solaris (SPARC and x86), QNX, FreeBSD |
| Platform | x86, SPARC |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Integrated development environment |
| License | Proprietary software Standard edition: freeware Student edition: freeware for students Professional edition: trialware for 30 days |
| Website | www |
CH can be embedded in C and C++ application programs. It has numerical computing and graphical plotting features. CH is combined of both shell and IDE.[1] CH shell combines the features of common shell and C language.[2] ChIDE provides quick code navigation and symbolic debugging. It is based on embedded CH, Scite, and Scintilla.[3][4]
CH is written in C and runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, AIX, Solaris, QNX, and HP-UX. It supports C90 and major C99 features, but it does not support the full set of C++ features. C99 complex number, IEEE-754 floating-point arithmetic, and variable-length array features were supported in CH before they became part of the C99 standard.[5][6][7][8] An article published by Computer Reseller News (CRN) named CH as notable among C-based virtual machines for its functionality and the availability of third-party libraries.[9]
CH has many tool kits that extend its functions. For example, the CH Mechanism Toolkit is used for design and analysis of commonly used mechanisms such as four-bar linkage, five-bar linkage, six-bar linkage, crank-slider mechanism, and cam-follower system.[10] CH Control System Toolkit is used for the design, analysis, and modeling of continuous-time or discrete-time linear time-invariant (LTI) control systems.[11] Both tool kits include the source code.
CH is now used and integrated into the curriculum by many high schools and universities to teach computing and programming in C/C++.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18] CH has been integrated into free C-STEM Studio, a platform for learning computing, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (C-STEM) with robotics. C-STEM Studio is developed by the UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education, offering a curriculum for K-12 students.
CH supports LEGO Mindstorms NXT and EV3, Arduino, Linkbot, Finch Robot, RoboTalk and Raspberry Pi, Pi Zero, and ARM for robot programming and learning.[19][20][21] It can also be embedded into the LabVIEW system design platform and development environment.[22]
Features
CH supports the 1999 ISO C Standard (C99) and C++ classes. It is a superset of C with C++ classes. Several major features of C99 are supported, such as complex numbers, variable length arrays (VLAs), IEEE-754 floating-point arithmetic, and generic mathematical functions. The specification for wide characters in Addendum 1 for C90 is also supported.
C++ features available in CH include:
- Member functions
- Mixed code and declaration
- The this -> pointer
- Reference type and pass-by-reference
- Function-style type conversion
- Classes
- Private/public data and functions in classes. Ch is compatible with C++ in that by default, members of a class definition are assumed to be private until a 'public' declaration is given
- Static member of class/struct/union
- Const member functions
- The new and delete operators
- Constructors and destructors
- Polymorphic functions
- The scope resolution operator
- The I/O functions cout, cerr, and cin with endl
- Arguments for variadic functions are optional
CH supports classes in C++ with added abilities, including:
- Classes inside member functions
- Nested functions with classes
- Passing member function to argument of pointer-to-function type of functions
CH can interact with existing C/C++ libraries and call C/C++ functions from CH script.[23]As a C/C++ interpreter, CH can be used as a scripting engine and extension language for applications. Pointers to arrays or variables can be passed and shared in both C-compiled and CH scripting contexts. One example of an embedded CH scripting application is Mobile-C, which has been used for collaborative visualization of distributed mesh model.[24][25][26]
CH has a built-in string type (string_t) for automatic memory allocation and de-allocation. It supports shell aliases, history, and piping.[27][28]
CH has built-in 2D/3D graphical plotting features and computational arrays for numerical computing. A 2D linear equation of the form b = A*x can be written verbatim in Ch.[29]
See also
References
Further reading
- Heller, Martin (2001). "The Ch Language Environment". Byte. Archived from the original on November 16, 2001.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - Cheng, Harry (2002). "C99 & Numeric Computing". Dr. Dobb's Journal. pp. 28–34.
- Cheng, Harry (2006). "Ch: A C/C++ Interpreter for Script Computing". Dr. Dobb's Journal. pp. 6–12.
- Cheng, Harry (2009). C For Engineers & Scientists, An Interpretive Approach. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-729046-7.
- Cheng, Harry (2011). C For Engineers & Scientists (Chinese ed.). Higher Education Press. ISBN 978-0-07-729046-7.