Chapter 3

Developing a Program
THE SUCCESS TRICK

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

3.1 The Program Development Cycle

Problem solving principles

Completely understand the

problem
Devise a plan to solve it
Carry out the plan
Review the results

WriMng a program
1) Analyze the problem
2) Design the program
3) Code the program
4) Test the program

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

1. Analyze the problem

IdenMfy desired results (output)
Determine input needed to produce those results
Example: Create a program to generate 6 numbers to play the
loXery
Is 7, 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 ok?
Is -3, 0, 8, 9, 689, 689 ok?
Is 1, 2, 6, 47.98765, 88, 93.45 ok?
These are all 6 numbers but we see we must be more specic
Desired results: 6 dierent posiMve integers within the range of 1 to 40
PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

2. Design the program

Create a detailed descripMon of program

Use charts, models, or ordinary language (pseudocode)

IdenMfy algorithms needed

Algorithm: a step-by-step method to solve a problem or complete a task

Algorithms must be:

Well dened
Well ordered
Must produce some result
Must terminate in a nite Mme

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

3. Code the program

Translate charts, models, pseudocode, or ordinary language into
program code
Add statements to document what the code does
Internal documentaMon
External documentaMon

Each programming language uses its specic syntax

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Syntax
Correct syntax for telling your friend where you put a cheese sandwich is:
I have put it on the table.

Incorrect use of English syntax to say:

I have it on the table put.
All the right words are there, but without proper syntax, the sentence is
gibberish in English.
But translated word for word, the second sentence is correct syntax in
German.
PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

4. Test the program

In analysis phase: conMnually ask ques6ons
Did I interpret data correctly?
Does program fulll requirements?
Are my formulas or procedures correct? Etc

In design phase: use desk-checking to walk through the program

In coding phase: sofware will alert you to errors in syntax but not in the logic of
the program
Finally, test your program with as many sets of test data as possible
Use good data, bad data, data you know the answers for, etc.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

AddiHonal Steps in the Cycle

o Create an outline of the program so that it is apparent what major tasks and subtasks have to
be accomplished and the relaMonships among these tasks
o Describe in detail how each of these tasks is to be carried out
To put a commercial program (produced by a sofware publishing company) you may need to:
Create a users guide
to help users can understand the intricacies of the program

Create help les

installed with the sofware for users to get on-screen help

Train employees to provide telephone or web-based customer support

Duplicate disks and accompanying materials for distribuMon
AdverMse the program to aXract buyers

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Program development is a process

Program development is a cyclical process that ofen requires
returning to earlier steps and, with complex programs, may take
many months
The design process may uncover aws in the analysis
Coding may nd problems leading to modicaMons or addiMons to
the design
TesMng inevitably uncovers problems that require returning to
previous phases

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

The Sale Price Example

A local department store wants to develop a program which, when given an items original price and the percentage it is
discounted, will compute the sale price, with sales tax.
Output required: name of item, discounted price, amount of sales tax, total price
Variables needed: ItemName, SalePrice, Tax, TotalPrice
Input required: name of item, original price, percent discounted
More variables: OriginalPrice, DiscountRate
Formulas required:
New variable needed: AmountSaved
SalePrice = OriginalPrice AmountSaved
AmountSaved = OriginalPrice * (DiscountRate/100)
Tax = SalePrice * .065
TotalPrice = SalePrice + Tax

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Design: Input Processing Output

Input

Input variables:

Perform CalculaMons (Process)

ComputaMons:

Output

Display:

ItemName

AmountSaved = OriginalPrice * DiscountRate/100

TotalPrice

DiscountRate

SalePrice = OriginalPrice AmountSaved

ItemName

OriginalPrice Tax = SalePrice * .065

TotalPrice = SalePrice + Tax

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Tax
SalePrice

3.2 Program Design

Modular Programming
To begin designing a program: idenMfy the major tasks the program must
accomplish.
Each of these tasks becomes a program module.
if needed, break each of these fundamental high-level tasks into
submodules
Some submodules might be divided into submodules of their own
this process can be conMnued as long as necessary
IdenMfying the tasks and subtasks is called modular programming

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Using Modules and Submodules

A module performs a single task.

A module is self-contained and independent of other modules.

A module is relaMvely short. Ideally, statements should not exceed one page.

Benets of Modular Programming

o program is easier to read
o easier to design, code, and test the program one module at a Mme
o dierent program modules can be designed and/or coded by dierent programmers
o a single module may be used in more than one place in the program
o modules that perform common programming tasks can be used in more than one
program

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Pseudocode: uses short, English-like phrases to describe the outline of a program

Example: pseudocode for the Sale Price Program with modules:
Input Data module
Prompt for ItemName, OriginalPrice, DiscountRate
Input ItemName, OriginalPrice, DiscountRate
Perform Calculations module
Set AmountSaved = OriginalPrice * (DiscountRate/100)
Set SalePrice = OriginalPrice AmountSaved
Set Tax = SalePrice * .065
Set TotalPrice = SalePrice + Tax
Output Results module
Write ItemName
Write OriginalPrice
Write DiscountRate
Write SalePrice
Write Tax
Write TotalPrice

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Rened Pseudocode for the Sale Price Program

Input Data module
Write What is the items name?
Input ItemName
Write What is its price and the percentage discounted?
Input OriginalPrice
Input DiscountRate
Perform Calculations module
Set AmountSaved = OriginalPrice * (DiscountRate/100)
Set SalePrice = OriginalPrice AmountSaved
Set Tax = SalePrice * .065
Set TotalPrice = SalePrice + Tax
Output Results module
Write The item is: + ItemName
Write Pre-sale price was: + OriginalPrice
Write Percentage discounted was: + DiscountRate + %
Write Sale price: + SalePrice
Write Sales tax: + Tax
Write Total: $ + TotalPrice

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Calling Modules
A call statement causes a submodule to be executed.
Afer a call statement, program control is transferred to the rst line of the
called module.
Afer all statements in the submodule have been executed, control returns to
the line of code immediately below the call statement.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

The Main Module

The main module is where program execuMon begins and normally ends.
The main module is not a submodule of another.
It is the parent module of the programs highest-level modules.
The highest-level modules are called into acMon by the main module.
In the Sale Price Program, we add a Main module to call others:
Main module

Call Input Data module

Call Perform Calculations module
Call Output Results module

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Format Output
o Include informaMon about what the output means
If a program calculates the temperature converted from Fahrenheit to Celsius, the
following output is confusing:



But the following output makes more sense:

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Hierarchy Charts
o Like an organizaMon chart

o Shows posiMon of modules in

the program
o Depicts what modules exist and
how they are related
o Large programs need a map
for documentaMon

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

3.3 Coding, DocumenHng, TesHng

Coding
Coding is done in a specic programming language. We will use pseudocode.
This phase should only begin afer a solid design exists.

Documen6ng
Code needs to contain documentaMon that describes to the reader what the
code is doing
Two types of comments are used within the code
Internal documenta6on is for the programmers to read
External documenta6on is for the user

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Comments: not processed by the computer, valued by

other programmers
Header comments
Appear at beginning of a program or a module
Provide general informaMon

Step comments or in-line comments

Appear throughout program
Explain purpose of specic porMons of code

Ofen comments delineated by:

//
/*

comment goes here

*/

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Using comments for a program to nd size of a room

//
//
//
//
//
//

Program to calculate the area in square footage of a room

Programmer: E. Drake, Santa Fe College
Version 6.0 January 1, 2015
This program computes the area of a room, given its width and length
Variables used: Width, Length, SquareFeet
Declare the variables
Declare Width As Float
Declare Length As Float
Declare SquareFeet As Float
// Get the values of the dimensions
Write What are the length and width of the room in inches?
Input Length
Input Width
// Calculate square footage
Set SquareFeet = Width * Length
// Output the result
Write Your room is + SquareFeet + square feet.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

The TesHng Phase

Tes6ng
Create test data that will be used to check the programs
correctness.
Use desk checking (or walking through a program by hand with
a set of data that you know the answer to).
Check that the program will catch errors by using test data
designed to create errors.
The more tesMng of various types of data you can use, the more
likely you are to have a program that is free of errors.

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Types of Errors: Syntax Errors

Syntax errors: a violaMon of the programming languages
rules for creaMng valid statements
May be caused by incorrect grammar or punctuaMon, or
misspelling a keyword
The program will not run at all with syntax errors

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Types of Errors: Logic Errors

Logic errors: the program runs, but does not produce
the expected results
May be caused by using an incorrect formula, or incorrect
sequence of statements, etc.
SomeMmes called run6me errors
Can be detected during the desk checking phase of the
programming cycle

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

3.4 Commercial Programs: TesHng and DocumenHng

External documenta6on
Purposes:
1. DocumentaMon in a users guide or on-screen help system
provides informaMon about the program for the end users
2. DocumentaMon in a maintenance manual provides informaMon
about how the program code accomplishes its purposes

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

 Users Guides:
o usually wriXen during alpha or beta test phases by a technical writer

Documenta6on for other programmers:

o Program maintenance manual
For programming experts
Used to help them x or enhance code wriXen by other programmers

o Design documentaMon
WriXen by programmer to explain raMonale behind methods and code used

o Trade Study documentaMon

A research tool
An aXempt to nd the best soluMon

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

3.5 Structured Programming

A method for designing and coding programs in a systemaMc,
organized manner
It combines the principles of top-down design, modularity and the
use of the three accepted control structures: sequence, repe66on
and selec6on
Sequence, repeMMon and selecMon can be expressed in
pseudocode, or with owcharts

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Flowcharts
A tool for programmers to design programs
Describes the ow of a program modules execuMon with diagrams
Completely dierent from hierarchy charts
Connected symbols are used to describe sequence, repeMMon, and selecMon
structures
Some prefer to use owcharMng to learn how to express algorithms, and
others prefer to use pseudocode
Many programs are designed with a combinaMon of pseudocode and
owcharts

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Basic FlowcharHng Symbols

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

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Main module
Declare ItemName As String
Declare iscountRate, SalePrice, TotalPrice As Float
Write Sale Price Program
Write This program computes the total price, including tax, of an item that has
been discounted a certain percentage.
Call Input Data module
Call Perform Calculations module
Call Output Results module
End Program
Input Data module
Write What is the items name?
Input ItemName
Write What is its price and the percentage discounted?
Input OriginalPrice
Input DiscountRate
End Input Data Module
Perform Calculations module
Declare AmountSaved As Float
Set AmountSaved = OriginalPrice * (DiscountRate/100)
Set SalePrice = OriginalPrice AmountSaved
Set Tax = SalePrice * .065
Set TotalPrice = SalePrice + Tax
End Perform Calculations Module
Output Results module
Write The item is: + ItemName
Write Pre-sale price was: + OriginalPrice
Write Percentage discounted was: + DiscountRate + %
Write Sale price: + SalePrice + Sales tax: + Tax
Write Total: $ + TotalPrice
End Output Results Module

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Control Structures
In the 1960s computer scienMsts proved there are only 3 basic control structures (also called
constructs) needed to create any program or algorithm!

Sequence execute statements in sequenMal order

The simplest of control structures start at the beginning and conMnue in sequenMal order

Selec6on selecMvely execute statements

Also called a branch or decision
requires a condi6on to determine when to execute statements

Repe66on repeat statements more than once

Also called a loop
needs a stop condi6on, i.e, the program will conMnue to loop unMl some condiMon is met

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Flowchart for typical decision (selecHon) structures

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Flowchart for typical repeHHon (loop) structures

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE

Style Pointers
q Write modular programs
q Use descripMve variable names
q Provide a welcome message for the user
q Use a prompt before an input
q IdenMfy program output
q Document your programs

PRELUDE TO PROGRAMMING, 6TH EDITION BY ELIZABETH DRAKE