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Chapter 1 - Theory - lecture notes

Introduction to Programming (University of KwaZulu-Natal)

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Introduction to Computing and

Programming

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Topics
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Hardware and Software
• 1.3 How Computers Store Data
• 1.4 How a Program Works
• 1.5 Graphical User Interfaces
• 1.6 Objects
• 1.7 The Program Development Process
• 1.8 Getting Started with the Visual Studio Environment

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What is a program?

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1.1 Introduction
• A program is a set of instructions that a
computer follows to perform a task
– Programs are commonly referred to as software
– Without software, computers cannot do anything
• Programmers, or software developers, create
software
– They are people with the training and skills necessary
to design, create, and test programs

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Hardware and Software

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1.2 Hardware and Software

• Hardware refers to all physical devices
– A computer consists of many pieces of hardware that
all work together
– Each piece of hardware does its own work
• A typical computer system contains:
– The CPU
– Main memory
– Secondary storage devices
– Input devices
– Output devices
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The CPU

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The CPU
• The central processing unit is the part that
actually runs programs
– The most important part of a computer
– Today CPUs are microprocessor
– Commonly used CPU vendors are Intel and
AMD

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Main Memory

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Main Memory
• The computer’s work area
• Where the computer loads instructions of
programs and data for processing
• Commonly known as RAM, random-access
memory
– Designed for CPUs to quickly access data stored at
any random location in the RAM
• They are a volatile type of memory
– When the computer is powered off, the contents in
RAM are erased
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Secondary Storage Devices

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Secondary Storage Devices

• Devices that can hold data for long periods of
time, even when the power is off
– Where important data and system files are stored
– Most commonly used is the disk drive which stores
data by magnetically encoding it onto a circular disk
– Solid state drives have no moving parts, and
operate faster than a traditional disk drive.
– Optical devices such as DVD-ROMs and CD-ROMs
are also popular
– USB drives and SD memory cards are small
devices that plug into a port
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Input Devices

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Input Devices
• Input is any data the computer collects
from people and devices
• Devices that collect the data and send
them to the computer are called input
devices
• Commonly used input devices are touch
screens, keyboards, mouses, scanners,
microphones, and digital cameras

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Output Devices

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Output Devices
• Output is any data the computer produces
for people or devices
• The device that generates output for a
computer is called an output device
• Commonly used output devices are
screens, speakers, and printers

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Software

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Software
• Categorized mainly into system software and
application software
– System software are programs that control and
manage the basic operations of a computer.
Subcategories are:
• Operating systems
• Utility programs
• Software development tools
– Application software are programs that perform
special tasks

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How Computers Store Data

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How Computers Store Data

• All data stored in a computer is converted to sequence of
0s and 1s; each sequence is called a bit
• A computer’s memory is divided into tiny storage
locations called bytes
– Eight bits make a byte
• Combinations of bits, 0s and 1s, are used to represent
characters. For example,
– The character ‘A’ is 65 in ASCII code, which is converted to
binary format 1000001
– When you press ‘A’, 1000001 will be stored in computer’s
memory

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Digital and Digital Data

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Digital and Digital Data

• “Digital” refers to anything that can only
have two possible values
– Digital data is the data that is stored in binary.
– Digital devices are devices that work with
binary data
– Computers are digital devices

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How a Program Works

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1.4 How a Program Works

• CPU reads instructions written in machine language
called instruction set
• A program will be copied into memory for CPU to
execute
• CPU uses the “fetch-decode-execute” cycle for
processing
– Fetch: Reads instructions from memory
– Decode: Decodes the instructions that were just read to
determine how to perform operations
– Execute: Actually performs the operations

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Programming Languages

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Programming Languages
– Machine languages: sequences of 0s and 1s
– Assembly languages: use short words known
as “mnemonics” to write program
• Must be translated by assembler
• Still considered low-level languages
• add, mul, mov
– High-level languages: more human readable
languages that allow programmers to create
programs without knowing how CPU works.
• Modern languages are high-level
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Keywords, Operators, and Syntax

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Keywords, Operators, and Syntax

• High level languages use keywords that have
special meaning and cannot be used for any
purpose other than to write programs
• Operators are keywords that represent special
program functions such as addition, subtraction, and
multiplication
• Syntax is a set of rules that must be strictly followed
to write computer-understandable instructions
– Syntax error is a mistake or violation of these rules
• Each instruction in a program is called a statement

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Compilers and Interpreters

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Compilers and Interpreters

• A compiler translates a high-level language
program to a separate machine program for
CPU to read and execute
– Source code: the statements a programmer writes in
a high-level language
– Compilation: translates a text-based source code to
binary codes
• Interpreter reads, translates, and executes the
instructions of a high-level language program
– Examples are PHP, Perl, Python

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Graphical User Interface

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1.5 Graphical User Interface

• User interfaces allow users to interact with the
computer. Categories are:
– Command line interface (aka console interface)
– Graphical user interface (GUI)- now the most
commonly used

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Event-Driven GUI Programs

• In a text based environment, such as
command line interface, programs
determine the order in which things
happen.
• In a GUI environment, the user determine
the order in which things happen.

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Objects

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1.6 Objects
• Most programming languages use object-oriented
programming in which a program component is called an
“object”
• Program objects have properties (or fields) and methods
– Properties – data stored in an object
– Methods – the operations an object can perform

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Controls

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Controls
• Objects that are visible in a program GUI are
known as controls
– Commonly used controls are Labels, Buttons, and
TextBoxes
– They enhance the functionality of your programs
• There are invisible objects in a GUI such as
Timers, and OpenFileDialog

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The .NET Framework

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The .NET Framework

• The .NET Framework is a collection of classes
and other codes that can be used to create
programs for Windows operating system
• C# is a language supported by the .NET
Framework
• Controls are defined by specialized classes
provided by the .NET Framework
• You can also write your own class to perform a
special task

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The Program Development

Process

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1.7 The Program Development

Process
• The process of creating a program is known as
the programming development cycle
• It has six phases:
– Understand the program’s purpose
– Design the GUI
– Design the program’s logic
– Write the code
– Correct syntax errors
– Test the program and correct logic errors

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Algorithm, Pseudocode, Flowchart

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Algorithm, Pseudocode, Flowchart

• An algorithm is a set of well-defined,
logical steps that must be taken to perform
a task
• An algorithm that is written out in plain
English is called pseudocode
• A flowchart is a diagram that graphically
depicts the steps of an algorithm

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Pseudocode example
If student's grade is greater than or equal to
60

Print "passed"
else
Print "failed"

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Flowchart example

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual

Studio Environment
• Visual Studio 2012 is a professional integrated
development environment (IDE)
• The Visual Studio Environment includes:
– Designer Window
– Solution Explorer Window
– Properties Window

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual

Studio Environment

The Designer

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual

Studio Environment

Solution Explorer

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual

Studio Environment

Properties Window

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1.8 Getting Started with the Visual

Studio Environment
• Auto Hide allows a window to display only as a
tab of the edges

Pushpin icon means it supports Auto Hide

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Menu Bar and Standard Toolbar

• Menu bar provides menus such as File,
Edit, View, Project, etc.

• Standard toolbar contains buttons that

execute frequently used commands

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The Toolbox
• Toolbox is a window for selecting controls to use in an
application
– Typically appears on the left side of Visual Studio environment
– Usually in Auto Hide mode

Toolbox tab

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The Toolbox
• Toolbox is a window for selecting controls to use in an
application
– Divided into sections such as “All Windows Forms” and
“Common Controls”

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Tooltips
• A Tooltip is a small box that pops up when you hover the
mouse pointer over an item on the toolbar or toolbox.

Tooltip

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Docked and Floating Windows

• When a window such as Solution Explorer is
docked, it is attached to one of the edges of the
Visual Studio environment
• When a window is floating, you can click and
drag it around the screen
– A window cannot float if it is in Auto Hide mode
• Right click a window’s title bar and select Float
or Dock to change between them

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Projects and Solutions

• Each Visual Studio application (including Visual
C#) you will create is a project
– A project contains several files.
– Typically they are Form1.cs, Program.cs, etc.
• A solution is a container that can hold one or
more Visual Studio (including Visual C#) projects
– Each project, however, is saved in its own solution
Solution Project
Files belonging to the project

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Specifying the Project Name

• You can specify the project name the first
time you save the project.

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Displaying the Designer

• Sometimes when you open an existing project, the
project’s form will not be automatically displayed in the
Designer
• You should:
– Right click Form1.cs in
the Solution Explorer
– Click View Designer in
the pop-up menu

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