What is Programming?

• A program is a list of instructions that is

executed by a computer to accomplish a
particular task.

• Creating those instructions is

programming by a programmer
• Programming language:
• Special language (like French or German)
• Understood by the computer
• Tells the computer what to do
• Used by a programmer to write a program
– Visual Basic, Java, C#, C++, COBOL
• Machine language:
• Language of the computer
• Every “Programmer” language is converted to machine
language
• Consists of bits on or off only
• Compiler or interpreter:
• Software that translates programming languages to
machine language
• Coding the program:
– Select the programming language
– Write the instructions
• Using software to translate the program into
machine language:
– Programmers write instructions in English-like
high-level languages
– Compilers or interpreters change the programs
into low-level machine language that can be
executed
– Syntax errors are identified by the compiler or
interpreter
Binary Machine Language –
all data types consist of 1s and 0s
– 1 bit (0 or 1)
– 4 bits = nibble
– 1 byte = 8 bits = 2 nibbles
• Is the storage for one character
– 1 word = 4 bytes
– 1 K = 1 KB = 1 kilobyte = 1,0240 bytes = 210 bytes
• Kilo = 1,000 : 1 KB = 1,000 bytes
– 1 Meg = 1 megabyte (MB) = 1 million = 1024 KB
– 1 GB = 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1024 MB = 1,000,000,000
– Many people approximate to steps of 1000, not 1024
Programming Languages
– Machine Languages
• 0110110111110111 0000000100000000
0000000100000000
– Assembly Languages
• One programmer instruction converted to 1 machine level
instruction
• ADD A,B
– High-level Languages
• Looks more like English words and algebraic expressions
• Examples of high level languages
• Programmer instruction converted to many machine level
» ADA BASIC
» C++ FORTRAN
» COBOL Java
» Pascal Visual Basic
Machine Language Generation
Programmer written Programmer written computer code
computer code

Translator Compiler Assembler

(Interpreter) Program
(browser)
One Machine
FUNCTION Language
Browsers Instruction
netscape
MS Explorer
Javascript Many machine
PHP Language
ASP Instructions

.exe file

Execute Execute
MS Word, Windows XP, MS Excel, Vista, MS Explorer
 Writing Programs
• To write a program in a high-level
language, you need:
– Appropriate software
– A text editor to type and edit program
statements
– A debugger to help find errors in program
code
– A compiler or interpreter to translate the
program into machine language
 Error Types

Syntax: the rules governing word

usage and punctuation in the language
(format, recipe, formula)
• Logic errors are more difficult to locate
than syntax errors
Syntax Error Cycle
• A program must be free of syntax errors to be run, or
executed, on a computer

• The program will not compile or be translated

• A message will point out the offending instruction

• To function properly, the logic must be correct

• The program will still execute

• The output may be incorrect
• The program may exit prematurely
• The program may ABEND (Abnormal Termination)
• The program may execute with no errors/problems
 Logic
• A program must be free of syntax errors to be run, or
executed, on a computer

• To function properly, the logic must be correct

• What’s wrong with this logic for making a cake?
• Two major programming techniques:
– Procedural programming
– Object-oriented programming
• Procedural programming: focuses on the
procedures that programmers create
• Object-oriented programming: focuses on
objects that represent real-world things and their
attributes and behaviors
• Both techniques employ reusable program modules
Mainline Logical Flow Through a Program

Procedural program: one procedure follows

another from beginning to end
Mainline logic has three distinct parts:
Housekeeping: steps to get ready
Main loop: instructions executed for every input record
End-of-job: steps taken at end of program
Break the logic down into at least three modules
Mainline Logical Flow Through a Program
Mainline Logical Flow Through a Program

• Modularization of the program:

– Keeps the job manageable
– Allows multiple programmers to work
simultaneously
– Keeps the program structured
 Housekeeping Tasks
• Housekeeping tasks: include all steps
that occur at the beginning of the program
– Declare variables
– Open files
– Perform one-time-only tasks such as printing
headings
– Read the first input record
 Annotate the Output
• If the output consists of numbers or any
data that has no explanatory text with it,
you should annotate your output – this
means to add some text so the user
knows what the output means.