Concepts of

Programming
Languages
Data and Control Abstractions

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 1
Abstractions in
Programming Languages

• Data abstractions
• Strings

• Numbers

• Trees

• Control abstractions
• Loops

• Conditional statements

• Procedure calls.

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 2
Data Abstractions – Simple or Basic

Floating point data values

Abstract the internal Integer data values are are stored using a
representation of usually stored using two's mantissa representation
common data values. complement for example. (mantissa sign, value,
exponent sign, value).

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A. GabAllah 3

Data Memory locations
containing data
The kind of data
value is also
Abstraction values are
abstracted by
giving them names
abstracted using a
data type (int,
double, float, etc.)
s– using variables.

Simple or int x; (C, C++, and

Java)
var x: integer;
(Pascal)

Basic
Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A. GabAllah 4
Data Abstractions –
■ Data structures are the principal method for
Structured abstracting collections of related data.

□ Arrays
■ int a[10] (C, C++)
■ int a[] = new int[10] (Java)
■ typedef int Intarray[10]; (A new non-internal data type called
Intarray. It is an array of ten ints).

□ Class

□ Struct

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A. GabAllah

5
Data Abstractions – Unit
Abstractions
• In large programs, it is necessary to collect
related code into specific locations within a
program.

• Examples:
• Packages in Ada and Java
• Modules in ML and Haskell

• A class may also be viewed as a unit

abstraction that provides data encapsulation
and information hiding by providing access
conventions and restrictions.
Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.
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 • Unit abstractions facilitate reusability:
the ability to reuse data abstractions in
different programs.
Data Abstractions
– • Such data abstractions represent:

• Components: Operationally complete

Unit Abstractions pieces of a program or user interface.

• Containers: Data structures

containing other user-defined data.

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A. GabAllah 7

Data Abstractions – Unit
Abstractions

• Unit abstractions form the basis for language

library mechanisms.

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 8
Control Abstractions -

Basic

• Typical basic control abstractions are

those that combine a few
machine instructions into a more
understandable abstract statement.

• Example: Assignment
• □ x = x + 10

• It abstracts the fetching of the value of x,

performing a computation and storage of
a value into a location denoted by a
variable name.
Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted
by Nada A. GabAllah 9
Control Abstractions - Structured

Divide a program
into groups of Examples:
instructions.

switch (C, C++,

case (Pascal) while
Java)

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 10
Control Abstractions - Structured

Example (C):
if (x > 0)
{
…
} else
{
…
}

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 11
Control Abstractions -
■ Example (Ada):
Structured if x>0.0 then
… Opening a group of
… nested statements is
automatic!
…
else
…
end if;

Dr. Sherif G. Aly

12

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

12
GabAllah
Control Abstractions - Structured
Structured control structures can be nested.

Procedures, sometimes called subprograms or routines are also

powerful structured control abstractions.

Procedures must be declared, then invoked.

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A. 13

GabAllah
Control Abstractions -

Structured
■Example: Ada gcd declaration
procedure gcd (u, v: in integer; x: out
integer) is y, t, z: integer;
begin Formal
Parameters
z := u;
y := v; loop
exit when y = 0; t := y;
y := z mod y; 14

z := t; end loop;
x := z; end gcd;

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

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GabAllah
Control Abstractions -
■ Example: Ada gcd call
Structured
gcd(8, 18, d)

Call and Actual

Parameters

15

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

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GabAllah
Control Abstractions - Structured

• Example: Fortran subroutine declaration

SUBROUTINE gcd (u, v, x)

… END

• Fortran call:
CALL gcd( a, b, d)

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 16
Control Abstractions - Structured

Procedures are They require storing

more complex information about
mechanisms than the program at the
selection or looping. point of the call.
Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.
GabAllah 17
Control Abstractions - Structured

FUNCTIONS ARE SIMPLY SOME LANGUAGES SUCH AS C AND

PROCEDURES THAT RETURN A C++ HAVE VOID FUNCTIONS
VALUE OR RESULT. (RETURN NO VALUE).

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 18
Control Abstractions -
Unit
• Control abstractions can also be grouped into files,
packages, and units exactly like data abstractions.

Prepared by Dr Ahmed Rafea, Dr Sherif Aly, Adapted by Nada A.

GabAllah 19