CSC-115Introduction to Computer

Programming

Lecture 2 - Programming Introduction

Prof. M. Higazi

What is Computer Programming?

• The process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer program

• In computer science, source code is any collection of computer instructions (possibly with comments) written using some human-readable computer language, usually as text.

• The source code of a program is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers

What are the quality requirements of programming?

• Reliability: how often the results of a program are correct.• Robustness: how well a program anticipates problems not due to programmer error. • Usability: the ergonomics of a program: the ease with which a person can use the

program for its intended purpose, or in some cases even unanticipated purposes.• Portability: the range of computer hardware and operating system platforms on

which the source code of a program can be compiled/interpreted and run.• Maintainability: the ease with which a program can be modified by its present or

future developers in order to make improvements or customizations, fix bugs and security holes, or adapt it to new environments. Good practices during initial development make the difference in this regard.

• Efficiency/Performance: the amount of system resources a program consumes (processor time, memory space, slow devices such as disks, network bandwidth and to some extent even user interaction): the less, the better. This also includes correct disposal of some resources, such as cleaning up temporary files and lack of memory leaks.

Programming LanguagesThere are literally hundreds of computer programming languages available

for writing instructions to the computer. Each was developed to solve a particular type of problem. Some of the more common programming languages are:

1. BASIC (Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) – The most popular language in use for microcomputers. BASIC was developed as the first language to be interactive with a user.

2. FORTRAN – The first of the high-level languages designed for scientific and mathematical programming

3. COBOL – The most popular business language in use for larger computers

4. Pascal – Popular with computer scientists; known as a highly structured language

5. C – Developed by Bell Lab scientists, C is widely used for writing operation systems and utility software.

6. LabVIEW – A graphical programming language developed by National Instruments

Programmer Tasks

Computer programmers are those who write computer software. Their tasks usually involve: Coding Compilation Debugging Documentation Integration Maintenance Requirements analysis Software architecture Software testing Specification

Steps in Program Development

A series of program planning tasks and techniques must be defined prior to writing a computer program. The following steps are to be considered:

1. Clearly state the problem – No one can solve a problem if it is not clear exactly what is to be done. The problem statement should have three parts:

a) The output is required. A computer program is always designed to produce some desired output. Find out exactly what output is required before proceeding.

b) The inputs. What inputs are available, and what will you need in order to produce the desired output?

c) The algorithm for solution. An algorithm is a list of steps necessary to accomplish a the task. What processing must be done to get from input to output? This will include and formulas needed for calculations.

Steps in Program Development

2. Plan the logic of the problem – There are several popular methods for planning program logic:

a) Flowcharts

b) Pseudocode

c) hierarchy charts

In practice, you will probably find that one of these methods works best for you. Remember, the computer follows directions exactly in the sequence given, you must be careful to plan each step, making sure the sequence is correct.

Steps in Program Development

3. Code the program – Writing the program in a programming language such as LabVIEW is called coding. The program can be written on plain paper or on a specially designed form called a coding form. There is also the option of coding right into the LabVIEW language, however this is a more advanced level of programming.

4. Key the program into the computer – This generally means to construct the program, one piece at a time, into the LabVIEW language.

Steps in Program Development

5. Test and debug the program – Once the program has been keyed into the computer, you are ready to see if it works.

– When the Start/Run command is selected, the program begins executing.– At this point, you look to see if you got the exact output you expected– If the planning was done carefully and well, and no errors were made, then you

probably got the expected output– However, if the output is NOT correct or is there is no output at all, then there

was an issue with the development of your program– Any errors that are found in your program are called bugs. The process of

finding and correcting any errors is called debugging– In order to debug your code, begin by reviewing the logic/development plan of

your program. The LabVIEW Error Handler can greatly assist in debugging syntax errors.

Steps in Program Development

6. Complete the documentation – Documentation is used as reference material for computer systems. Documentations include:

• Flowcharts, hierarchy charts, pseudocode• Descriptions of output and input• Algorithms for problem solution• Program listings• Instructions for the user

* Note: Looking back at steps 1 through 5, it is obvious that most of the documentation has already been prepared. The last step is to complete any loose ends and assemble the documentation into a finished product.