finalproject_coffey

8/3/2019 FinalProject_Coffey

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I also learned about the importance of planning when writing code. Before you start a

project, you should always first figure out the purpose that your program will serve. Once you

have decided on what the function of your program is you can begin the planning process.

Using simple pseudo code one can lay out the basic framework and functioning of a program,

which will come in handy when actually coding the program later. The plan gives you a visualinterpretation of the program making it very easy to read and comprehend. Planning is a very

important part in any serious project, especially in computer programming.

One very important element of computer programming I learned a lot about is loops. I

have previous experience with computer programming and already knew a fair share of

information regarding but this class really expanded my knowledge of loops and their

counterparts. I learned more about the WHILE and FOR loops as well as rational and logical

operators. I learned the importance of avoiding infinite loops and the benefit of using loops

to run programs. I now know the difference between pre-test and post-test loops and

understand their relevance; pre-test loops can be great for checking for certain things prior to

execution of the program and post-test loops(located in the body of the code, rather than at

the beginning) are equally useful as well with an endless amount of possibilities ranging from

using a loop to continually receive data input from a user, or one could use several loops to

make a simple game and an exit condition would allow the user to end the program and

perhaps even output scores on screen. I learned about nested loops and how they allow more

complex programs to be coded, and I now know how to write code with the RANDOM function

and how to generate random numbers for any program.(Random*10, etc.)

In this class I learned about the different kinds of arrays and why they are so useful in

storing data. Arrays allow a user to store more than one value under one specific string in this

form: MyData[X], X being either the max amount of values allowed for that one specific string

or X being a specific value when being called on in a program to be used for computing. Usingarrays can make a program function much more effectively by reducing the number of

variables, by allowing the data to be read into the program one time but accessed within the

program for any function very easily. It also increases the effectiveness of the program by

eliminating the amount of If-Then statements within the program thus increasing the flexibility

and difficulty of coding, making it much easier to work with than a vast amount of variables that

serve the same purpose. One-Dimensional and Parallel Arrays are a great way to compute


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different data for similar strings; they are one of the many essential tools available to computer

programmers.

I also learned about the three basic control structures as set in the Structure Theorem.Only three basic control structures are needed to create any program. The sequential structure,

or sequence structure, contains a list of statements executed in the order in which they are

listed. Another basic control structure is the decision structure. The decision structures contain

statements that cause a jump in the list of commands, such as If-Then commands which would

tell a program to jump to another part of code if a particular condition had not been met. The

diamond symbol is used for a decision on a flow chart diagram. Last but not least, the final basic

control structure is known as a Loops Structure. Loops structure is very similar to decision

structures in that in causes a branch but instead of both decisions having different results, one

branch causes the loop to be repeated. A diamond is also the shape of the loop in a flow chartdiagram. These three basic control structures can be used to code a variety of different

applications that handle several different tasks and perform many different functions.

I learned about using subprograms with parameters/arguments and why they are useful

to use in your code. They make debugging the code a lot easier because they are separate, you

can call on these subprograms in multiple applications which can be useful in large projects.

Parameters allow the programmer to transmit information between modules, and arguments

are simply their counter parts. For Instance, if you were to in a subprogram call onEmployeeName(Pacino, Al) and EmployeeSalary(Pacino,Al) you could have the subprogram

then PRINT EmployeeName is paid EmployeeSalary. This would be convenient because you

could easily interchange the different values, hence the word parameter.

Another important element of programming is storing data in files. There are many

different ways to store data for instance you can store data in separate text files or in binary

code files. Data can also be stored in direct-access files or sequential data files. Binary codes are

often used in most programs today, but text file data storing can prove to be useful in manyoffice/business situations. Sequential data filing is often used to store data within a program

and later call on it for computing or displaying or maybe even modifying. With sequential data

filing you just simply use the open command to create a file, opening a file creates one and

then you can store data for computation later throughout the program.


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I also learned about classes and objects. Objects are structures that combine attributes

and methods using classes. A class is a type of data that allows the programmer to create

objects and it provides information for a collection of objects by assigning its attributes and

specifying the methods (instructions), this can be extremely useful in programming because a

programmer can create multiple functions that serve many different purposes. This allows a lotof flexibility to a programs design because functions can be called upon with a simple word and

the organization of the program is never hindered. Classes provide information needed for

different objects to perform methods within a program. This is very important to programming

and allows the code writer to do virtually anything in their programs, programmers can virtually

write any kind of function and store it as a class/object and later call on it again for use in a

program.

Object-oriented programming has two basic reasons for becoming so widely used. Onereason is because as the 1980s progressed so did the level of complexity in programming.

Programs began to involve a lot of methods and keeping track of all the subprograms proved to

be rather frustrating, so object oriented programming began to become more popular than

your standard top down methods of writing programs. Also as the graphical user interface

became more apparent, so did the need for object oriented programming because it was used

to code all the essential graphical entities.

After taking this course I feel much more confident about planning and coding aprogram. I know have a much better understanding about using loops, decisions, data files,

objects and arrays to instruct a computer what to do. My mental toolbox has definitely

acquired several new concepts that I can readily apply to any programming situation. I feel very

confident about continuing on to actually learn JavaScript or PHP. I am aware that this is a job

market of the future and I want to excel in it. It is time for me to take my computer skills above

and beyond! I am excited to extend my computer language knowledge from only BASIC and

HTML to other more difficult languages like C++ and PERL. I really enjoyed this class because I

have expanded my mind in a field that I love so much and I am looking forward to taking my

next computer programming class next semester.

This course has showed me the importance of programming logic. It is crucial for one to

learn the basic logic and reasoning behind computer programming before they attempt to learn

a computer language. Virtually all the computer languages out there operate on the same

premises such as loops, decisions, objects, functions etc. So having a good, general


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understanding of how these concepts work and work together is extremely helpful. One could

try to learn a computer programming language like PERL without prior computer logic training

but surely they would not last long after endless amounts of incomprehensible computer jargon

is thrown at them. The programmer must first prepare himself to learn a language before

learning one.

Computer Logic is ultimately the reason for computers to exist, it had to smart small.

Just like with all other branches of science, knowledge continues to stack and stack and further

evolve that particular branch. When using basic computing logic and reasoning you can plan

and create virtually any kind of application, using math you could calculate compounded

interest rates, profits of a business, and an endless list of other problems that can easily be

solved with a calculation. The programming logic is the blueprint of the application itself, the

computer is just simply taking orders. Computer Programming allows us to bring severalcomputations and decisions together into one application that can serve virtually an endless

amount of problems. Modern civilization would be nothing like that of todays if computer

programming had not completely reshaped the world we live in.

In Conclusion, there are many concepts involved in computer programming and in this

course I have learned about several different ones from loops, decisions and arrays to objects,

parameters and arguments. I now have a much more broad understanding of the many

concepts involved in planning, designing, and debugging computer applications. I have learneda lot this semester in this class and I am excited to move on to JavaScript or some other

computer language. I feel, especially after taking this course; that it is very important for one to

have a good general understanding of the many concepts you will encounter with any

computer language. The importance of learning computer programming logic cannot be

stressed enough. If you are familiar with the different terms and things involved with computer

programming then it will be much easier for you to be successful in learning a computer

language.

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