Programming

Programming
TBE 540
Farah Fisher

Objectives
 After viewing this presentation, the
learner will be able to…
• Given a task, create pseudocode
• Given pseudocode, create a flowchart
• Define/describe these terms: program,
compile vs. interpret, loop, variable, function,
syntax, code, debug, IF THEN ELSE

What is programming?
 Series of instructions to a computer to
accomplish a task
 Instructions must be written in a way the
computer can understand
 Programming languages are used to
write programs

 Once the code (language) of a program
has been written, it must be executed
(run, started).
 You may need to type the name of the
program to start it, or use a word like
RUN and the name of the program (in
the old days, anyway).

 Some programming languages (like Java
or C++) require the code to be compiled
(translated to binary) before it can be
started.
 Others (like JavaScript) are interpreted,
meaning that each command is
translated separately when the program
is started.

What is a programming
language?
 Set of commands that a computer has been
“taught” to understand
 Languages that look like “machine code” (e.g.,
82A8: jsr r5,@#82AE 82AC: sob r0,8296) are used for…
• Writing games
• Writing application programs (like Excel)
 Other languages look like English (“high level,”
e.g., PRINT “HELLO”)
• Logo
• JavaScript
• And many more

What does programming
look like?
 Here are some examples of an instruction to
print the word HI
• Logo PR [HI]
• JavaScript alert(“HI”);
• FORTRAN PRINT “HI”
• BASIC PRINT “HI”
• COBOL DISPLAY ‘HI’.
• C++ printf(“HI”);
• Pascal WRITELN(‘HI’);
• Assembly XPRNT MESSAGE1
Language MESSAGE1 DC ‘HI’

How do you write a program?
 Decide what steps are needed to complete
the task
 Write the steps in pseudocode (written in
English) or as a flowchart (graphic symbols)
 Translate into the programming language
 Try out the program and “debug” it (fix if
necessary)

What is pseudocode?
 List of steps written in English
 Like the instructions for a recipe
 Must be in the right sequence
• Imagine saying “bake the cake” and then “mix
it up”

Sample Pseudocode
 Task: add two numbers
 Pseudocode:
• Start
• Get two numbers
• Add them
• Print the answer
• End

What does a flowchart look like?
 The pseudocode from the previous slide
would look like this as a flowchart:
Start
Get 2 numbers
Add them
Print answer
End

What are those funny symbols?
 START/END
 INPUT/OUTPUT
 PROCESS
 DECISION

 START/END
 Used at the beginning
and end of each
flowchart.

 INPUT/OUTPUT
 Shows when
information/data comes
into a program or is
printed out.

 PROCESS
 Used to show
calculations, storing of
data in variables, and
other “processes” that
take place within a
program.

 DECISION
 Used to show that the
program must decide
whether something
(usually a comparison
between numbers) is
true or false. YES and
NO (or T/F) branches
are usually shown.
Y
N
X>7?

Another Sample:
Calculating Age
 Pseudocode:
• Start
• Get year born
• Calculate age
• Print age
• If age > 50 print OLD
• End

Another Sample:
Calculating Age
 Flowchart
• Start
• Get year born
• Calculate age
• Print age
• If age > 50 print OLD
• End
Get yr
Calc age
Print age
Age>50?OLD Y
N
Start
End

Elements of a Program
 All programming languages have certain features in
common. For example:
• Variables
• Commands/Syntax (the way commands are structured)
• Loops
• Decisions
• Functions
 Each programming language has a different set of rules
about these features.

Variables
 Variables are part of almost every program.
 A variable is a “place to put data” and is
usually represented by a letter or a word.
(Think of a variable as a Tupperware
container with a label on it.)
 Variable names cannot contain spaces.
 Some programming languages have very
specific limits on variable names.

Variables
 Usually there are several ways to put
information into a variable.
 The most common way is to use the equal
sign (=).
 X = Y + 7 means take the value of Y, add 7,
and put it into X.
 COUNT=COUNT + 2 means take the current
value of COUNT, add 2 to it, and make it the
new value of COUNT.

Variables
 Sometimes you must specify the type of data
that will be placed in a variable.
 Here are some examples of data types:
• Numeric (numbers of all kinds)
• String (text, “strings of letters”)
• Integer (whole numbers)
• Long (large numbers)
• Boolean (true/false)

Variables
 Variables may be classified as global or local.
 A global variable is one that can be shared by
all parts of a program, including any functions
or sub-programs.
 A local variable is one that is used only within
a certain part of the program, for example, only
in one function or sub-program.

Commands/Syntax
 Programming languages are truly
languages.
 They have rules about grammar,
spelling, punctuation, etc.
 You need to learn the rules of a
programming language, just as you
learned to speak and write English.

Loops
 A loop is a repetition of all or part of the
commands in a program.
 A loop often has a counter (a variable)
and continues to repeat a specified
number of times.
 A loop may also continue until a certain
condition is met (e.g., until the end of a
file or until a number reaches a set limit)

Decisions
 You saw a flowchart symbol for
decisions.
 A program often needs to decide
whether something is true or false in
order to see which way to continue.
 Programs often use IF (or IF THEN or IF
THEN ELSE) statements to show a
decision.

Decisions
 An IF statement always has a condition
to check, often a comparison between a
variable and a number.
 The IF statement also must specify what
to do if the condition/comparison is true.
 These instructions (for “true”) may come
after the word THEN, or they may simply
be listed.

Decisions
 In an IF THEN statement, when the
condition is false, the program simply
ignores the THEN commands and
continues to the next line.
 In an IF THEN ELSE statement,
commands are given for both the true
and false conditions.

Functions
 In most programming languages, small sub-
programs are used to perform some of the
tasks.
 These may be called functions, subroutines,
handlers, or other such terms.
 Functions often have names (e.g., getName
or CALCTAX).

Functions
 A function generally gets information from
the main program, performs some task, and
returns information back to the program.
 Functions follow the same rules of syntax, etc.
as the main program.
 JavaScript code is primarily made of a series
of functions.

Hints for Writing Code
 “Code” means writing the program in the
appropriate language
 Be sure the code is exact (spelling,
capitals/lower case, punctuation, etc).
 Write part of the code, try it, then write
more.

Debugging
 To “debug” means to try a program, then fix
any mistakes.
 Virtually no program works the first time you
run it. There are just too many places to
make errors.
 When you are debugging a program, look for
spelling and punctuation errors.
 Fix one error at a time, then try the program
again.

Self-Check
 A computer program is…
• A series of instructions to accomplish
something
• A TV show
• Written in Egyptian hieroglyphics
• Can be written any way you want to

Self-Check
 To “compile” a program means to…
• Translate it into English
• Translate it into binary code
• Pile up the punch cards used for the program
• Run the program as it was written

Self-Check
 Pseudocode is…
• The program as it is written in a programming
language
• The results of a program that makes secret
codes
• The logic of a program written in English
• The logic of a program shown in a chart

 Pseudocode is…
• The program as it is written in a programming
language
• The results of a program that makes secret
codes
• The logic of a program written in English
• The logic of a program shown in a chart
Self-Check

Self-Check
 The flowchart symbol to perform a
calculation is…

Self-Check
 The flowchart symbol to show a decision
is…

Self-Check
 Look at the flowchart section below. If
the variable X is 5, what will print (K or
1st)?
X > 5?
YN
Print “1st”Print “K”

Self-Check
 Look at the flowchart section below. If
the variable X is 5, what will print (K or
1st)?
X > 5?
YN
Print “1st”Print “K”
K will be printed. The answer to the question “Is X greater than 5?”
is NO, since X is equal to (not greater than) 5.

Self-Check
 Choose the correct
flowchart symbol for each
of these statements.
 AGE>65?
 Calc. Tax
 START
 Print NAME

Self-Check
 A function in a program is…
• Something from trigonometry, like
COSINE
• A sub-program, usually performing one
task
• A way to check the accuracy of a program
(a “function check”)

Self-Check
 A variable in a program is…
• A letter or word that represents a place to
store data
• A decision made within a program
• A small sub-program used to find errors

Challenge
 Try to write pseudocode and create a
flowchart for a program that calculates
the average of three grades and prints
the average.
 The word GOOD should be printed only
if the average is more than 80.

Challenge
 Possible pseudocode
• Start
• Get three grades
• Average them
• Print Average
• Average>80?
• If Yes, print GOOD
• End

Challenge
 Possible flowchart
• Start
• Get three grades
• Average them
• Print Average
• Average>80?
• If Yes, print GOOD
• End
START
END
Get 3 grades
Calc avg
Print avg
Avg>80?GOOD
Y
N

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