Computers and Technology
Important Programming Terminologies You Must Know as a Beginner!
Before learning about any new skill or subject, it is first necessary to learn about the basic terms used in that domain before starting with its practice. If you first learn about the important terms and definitions of it, then it becomes easier to understand the field of that subject or skill in a better and faster way. If you are a student or person eager to learn to code or are new to computer science, this article will help you a lot. It consists of few of those terms and definitions which are most important and are used widely in programming and computer sciences.
Key Programming Terms
Below are a few important definitions and terminologies which will help you as a beginner and in completing your assignments:
- Algorithm: It is a set of rules and instructions which are framed for solving a certain problem. The problem can be both a simple one and the complex one. It can be as simple as adding two numbers and can be too complicated, such as the conversion of a video file from some format to a different one.
- Program: By program, it means the computer program which performs a specific function or task by executing a classified collection of instructions. Before the execution process starts, it is processed by the computer’s CPU (Central Processing Unit). For example- Microsoft Word Program is a word processing suite that allows users to edit and create different documents.
- API: The full form of API is Application Programming Interface is used for building software applications and consists of a set of protocols, rules and routines. It assists in transmitting with third-party services and programs which are used for creating different software. For example- big companies like Twitter and Facebook diligently use the APIs to help the developers gain access to their services easily.
- Argument: Also known as Arg, is the value that is provided into a function or command. For example- if the edit is the function that helps edit a file, then the argument is ‘myfile.txt’ or myfile.txt.
- ASCII: It is the short form used for American Standard Code for Information Interexchange. It is a standard used for assigning numbers characterizing different slots and letters, accessible in 8-bit code. The complete number of available slots is 256. The decimal number of ASCII is obtained from binary and is allocated to every number, character and letter. The ‘$’ symbol, for example, has the ASCII decimal value 036, while the lowercase ‘a’ letter has the number 097.
- Boolean: It is logic or expression that is taken help of to generate statements that are false or true. The expression of Boolean uses operators like NOR, AND, OR, NOT, XOR with conditional statements in search engines, programming, formulas and algorithms. It is known with many other names such as conditional expression, comparison expressions, relational expressions, etc.
- Bug: It is a term that is generally used for denoting an unforeseen defect or error in the software and hardware, which affects its functioning. Although the bugs are known as minor glitches of the computer, there have been such cases, too, where the bugs led to conditions that were life-threatening and resulted in huge financial losses. This necessitates investing in the bug-finding process prior to the release of programmes for their intended use. The method of doing this is called testing.
- Character: The character, also known as char, is an information display unit that is equal to the symbol or letter of one alphabet. The char variable can have any of the values of a character like ‘x,’ ‘1’, ‘a’, ‘$,’ etc. The wider definition of a characters as a single unit of written language is taken use of in this definition of character. However, in languages like C, C++, C#, and Java, the abbreviation char is a reserved keyword term.
- Objects: Object is known as the combination of constraints, variables, and other different data structures which can be manipulated and selected together. The object can consist of anything, including the age of a student studying in school or the shapes and graphics which appear on the screen.
- Object-Oriented Programming: Also known as OOP in short, is a model described and explained by programmers which revolve around the data and object instead of logic and actions. It not only explains the data type of a data structure, but along with that, it also tells about the different types of functions that can be used in it. As a result, the structure of data is changed into an object that contains both the functions and data.
- Class: The group of related objects with common properties is known as a class in OOP. The OOP is able to create a flexible and powerful programming system with the help of class and its capability of creating new classes. For example, a class can consist of objects like squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, etc., known as shapes.
- Code: A code, also known as a source code, helps in describing a set of instructions that are written using protocols of a specific coding language like Python, Java or C. The use of code can also be taken in an informal way for describing a particular language or written text. Many cases occur where the code references are created for different languages like Java Code, PHP Code, CSS Code, HTML Code, etc.
- Compilation: Compilation is the process of turning code written in a programming language which is compiled into an executable program. Compiling allows a computer to understand and run a program without utilizing the programming software used to develop it. A compiler is a program that converts machine language programs into computer programs written in numbers, characters and letters. C++ is a good example of a compiler.
- Constants: The other name which is used for it is Const is a term that is used for explaining a value that stays constant, meaning which doesn’t change in the entire execution program; it is completely opposite from a variable. A constant can be a string, number or character which remains the same and cannot be changed.
- Array: It is a group or list of the data values grouped together being of similar types. The array consists of such values, which are of similar data and can only be differentiated by the positions they are on in an array.
These were some of the important definitions and terminologies of programming assignment help that will widen your programming knowledge and complete your programming projects. Although you can take help from an assignment maker if you are short of time, remember that it won’t add anything to your knowledge.
