Live Memory Visualiser - README

Description:

This is a live memory visualiser written in C for Windows. It tracks allocations and deallocations in a simulated heap, logs the memory state to a JSON file, and visualises it in real-time using an animated HTML page.

Features:

1. Continuous memory tracking:
   • Allocations and deallocations are logged to memory_log.json every 0.5 seconds.
2. Interactive memory simulation:
   • Press 'a' to allocate a 32B block.
   • Press 'f' to free the last unfreed block.
   • Press 'q' to quit the programme.
3. Animated HTML visualisation:
   • Uses CSS and JavaScript to display blocks with height proportional to size.
   • Green blocks = allocated, Red blocks = freed.
4. Safe memory cleanup:
   • All memory is freed when the programme exits.
5. Optional automatic mode:
   • The programme can be configured to randomly allocate/free blocks for demonstration.

Safety Notes:

• Unlimited allocations can consume large amounts of memory. Avoid pressing 'a' excessively.
• File writing occurs every 0.5 seconds to memory_log.json. Ensure the file is not locked by another programme.
• If the programme is terminated abruptly, memory is released by Windows but JSON may not be fully updated.
• Designed for Windows; does not use POSIX sockets.

Requirements:

• Windows OS
• GCC (e.g., via MinGW) for compilation
• Python 3 (for running a local HTTP server to view HTML)
• Web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.)

Files:

1. Memory_Visualiser_LoggerV2.c - C programme to simulate memory allocations/frees and log to JSON.
2. Mem_VisualiserV2.html - HTML + JS file for animated visualisation.
3. Memory_Visualiser_V2.exe - Compiled Windows executable (optional; source code recommended).
4. memory_log.json - JSON file generated by the C programme.
5. README.txt - this file.

Instructions to Run:

Step 1: Compile the C programme

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt in the folder containing the files:

gcc Memory_Visualiser_LoggerV2.c -o Memory_Visualiser_V2.exe

Step 2: Run the C programme

.\Memory_Visualiser_V2.exe

• The programme will run indefinitely.
• Use keys:
  • 'a' → allocate 32B memory block
  • 'f' → free the last unfreed block
  • 'q' → quit the programme

Step 3: Serve files for the HTML visualiser

Open another terminal in the same folder and run:

python3 -m http.server 8000

This will serve the folder at http://localhost:8000

Step 4: Open the HTML visualisation

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:8000/Mem_VisualiserV2.html

• The page will fetch memory_log.json every second.
• Blocks will animate as memory is allocated or freed.

Optional: Automatic Mode

You can modify Memory_Visualiser_LoggerV2.c to randomly allocate/free blocks in a loop instead of manual keypresses. This will simulate heap activity automatically and continuously.

Notes:

• The JSON file is overwritten on every update.
• The HTML visualisation can be refreshed manually or will update automatically if polling is enabled.
• Scaling factor in the HTML file may be adjusted for better visibility of block heights.

Licence:

This is provided for educational purposes. Use at your own risk.

End of README