Programming Techniques

Lecture 2
Lecture Outline
• Basic Programming Concepts: Input, Processing and Output
• Data Types
• Variables
• Identifier Naming Conventions
• Reserved Words
• Algorithms
• Pseudocode
• Flowcharts
Introduction
• Programming is the process of designing and implementing
logic to accomplish a specific computer task.
• It involves analyzing, generating algorithms, implementing
algorithms in a particular programming languages, and
testing to make sure the program works correctly.
• Every task that happens inside a computer system involves
processing some input data into a form of output using an
algorithm (instructions)
• We shall discuss what happens during input, processing , and
output process.
Syntax
• The ways that specific words and symbols are used by each
language is called its syntax.
• The actual code depends on what language you are using.
• Every language has its specific syntax
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
• In C++ the syntax is as follows:
int main( ) {
cout << "Hello World!";
return 0;
}
Syntax
• Line 1: #include <iostream>
#include <iostream> • Is a header file library that lets
using namespace std; us work with input and output
objects, such as cout.
• Header files add functionality
int main( ) { to C++ programs.
cout << "Hello World!"; • Line 2: using namespace std
• Allows us to use names for
return 0; objects and variables from the
} standard library.
Syntax
• Line 3: A blank line.
#include <iostream> • C++ ignores white space.
• But we use it to make the code
using namespace std; more readable.
• Line 4: int main().
int main( ) { • This is called a function. Any
cout << "Hello World!"; code inside its curly brackets {}
will be executed.
return 0;
• Line 5: cout is an object used
} together with the insertion
operator (<<) to output/print
text.
Syntax

#include <iostream> • Every C++ statement ends

using namespace std; with a semicolon (;)
• Line 6: return 0 ends the main
function.
int main( ) {
• Line 7: Do not forget to add
cout << "Hello World!"; the closing curly bracket } to
return 0; actually end the main
} function.
Data Input
• The data input operation enables us to enter data into the
computer system in different forms. (i.e. text, sound, light,
video, …).
• When you want the user to input data to a program, you should
always provide a prompt.
• We will use a statement that begins with the word cin to
allow the user to enter data from the keyboard.
cout << “This is a prompt:”;
cin >> amount;
Data Processing
• The processing operation in a program executes the statements
that cause the program to do something.
• Consider the statement:
sum = varNumber1 + varNumber2
• Consider
profit = sellingPrice - costPrice
Data Output
• The output of a program is the data sent by the program to the
screen, printer, or another destination such as a file.
• The output normally consists, at least in part, of the results of the
program’s processing component.
• We will use the cout statement to display messages on the
screen.
• A statement like the following to display the value of a variable:
cout << circumference;
cout << “Enter you name:”;
Variables
• When we write programs most times we don’t know the actual
numbers that the user will enter while running (executing) the
program.
• A computer program should always be written so that the user
doesn’t have to reenter all the steps to get another result.
• A variable is quantity that can change value during execution of
a program.
• It is a named memory location whose contents can vary or differ
over time.
• Example: myNumber, NAME, amount, … are variables
Variables
• Whenever we need to refer to that data in a subsequent
program statement, we simply refer to its variable name
• Technically, a variable is the name for a storage location in the
computer’s memory, and the value of a variable is the contents
of that location.
Variables
• In most programming languages before you can use a variable,
it must be first declared.
• A variable declaration is a statement that provides a data type
and identifier for a variable.
• An identifier is a variable’s name
• The data type of a variable describes:
• The data the variable can hold
• How the data is stored in memory
• What operations can be performed on the data item
Identifier Names
• Identifiers are names of things, such as variables, constants,
and methods, that appear in programs.
• All identifier names must obey the programming language
rules for identifiers.
• These rules are different for every language but the
following is generally accepted:
• An identifier name consists of letters, digits, the
underscore character (_), and the dollar sign ($) and must
begin with a letter, underscore, or the dollar sign.
• Identifier names can be any length but should be
meaningful.
Identifier Names
• Identifiers can be made of only letters, digits, the underscore,
and the dollar sign, no other symbols are permitted to form an
identifier.

• Legal/acceptable identifier names include:

• first, NUMBER, Conversion, NaMe, …
• payRate, ComputeAverage, FIRSTname, Lastname, …
• count1, n1room, f2name, item_number, …
• $Amount, _amount, _Amount, _2place, …
• _house, _20, var, …
Reserved Words
• Reserved words are also called keywords.
• Reserved words cannot be redefined by the user within any
program, i.e. they cannot be used for anything other than
their intended use.
• A named constant is an identifier that represents a permanent
value that never changes.
• Example: float PI = 22/7
int INTEREST_RATE = 30
float SALES_TAX = 0.07
Data Types
• The computer allocates a certain amount of space in its
memory for data.
• But some data requires more space than other data
• All data requires memory space and the type of data
determines how much memory is needed.
• For this reason, when we write programs, we must tell the
computer what type of data we are dealing with.
• The programmer must define the data type of the variables
being used.
 Data Types
• Computer languages make use of two categories of data types,
namely: primitive and derived data or reference types.

• Primitive data types are the most basic types of data available
within any programming language.
• They may include types such as integer, double, float, character, byte,
long, short, signed, unsigned, and Boolean.

• Derived data types are an aggregation of the basic data types.

• They include types like string, list/arrays, structures, dictionaries,
tuples, pointers, queues, stacks, objects, unions, …
 Data Types
• Four (4) basic data types will be used in our course, namely:
• integer
• floating-point
• character
• Boolean

• Two (2) derived data types will also be studied in this course,
namely:
• String
• Array
Declare Statement
• When we declare variables using statements like the following:
int myNum = 5; // Integer (whole number)
float myFloatNum = 5.99; // Floating point number
double myDoubleNum = 9.98; // Floating point number
char myLetter = 'D'; // Character
bool myBoolean = true; // Boolean
string myText = "Hello"; // String
• Many programming languages allow you to declare several variables
in one statement, all variables must have the same data type.
int num1, num2;
string firstName, lastName, fullName;
Basic Data Types

Data Type Size Description

Boolean 1 byte True or False values
char 1 byte single character/letter/number, or ASCII values
int 4 bytes whole numbers, without decimals
float 4 bytes fractions containing a decimal. Can store 6-7
decimal digits
double 8 bytes fractions containing a decimal. Sufficient for
storing 15 decimal digits
 String Data Type
• The string type is used to store a sequence of characters (text).
• Strings must be surrounded by double quotes (“ ”)
• Example: string val = "Enter the first number:”;
string name;
name = “My name is Peter.”;
• To use strings, you must include an additional header file in the
source code, the <string> library:
//Include the string library
#include <string>
 Operations on Strings
• In many programming languages, concatenation, takes two or
more strings and joins them to produce a single string result.
• The symbol that is often used to concatenate two strings is the
plus sign, +.
• For example, if String1 = "Part" and String2 = "Time", then the
statement
newString = String1 + String2

• The value of NewString is “Part Time”

Example
• What is displayed on the screen when the following is
executed:
string ItemName, TextString, ItemCost;
ItemName = "Cashmere sweater ”;
TextString = "will cost $ ”;
ItemCost = “125”
cout << ItemName << TextString << ItemCost << endl;
Algorithms
• An algorithm is a sequence of steps for solving a specific
problem given its input data and the expected output data.
• When we write a computer program, we are generally
implementing a method that has been devised previously to
solve some problem.
• Algorithms can be expressed in one of these ways: words,
pseudocodes, flowchart and a programming language.
Pseudocode
• Pseudocode uses short, semi-formal English-like phrases to
describe the outline of a program.
• It’s not actual code from any specific programming
language, but sometimes it strongly resembles the actual
code.
• Pseudo is a prefix that means “false”, hence it simply
means “false code”
• It uses limited vocabulary to design and describe algorithms
• It is a "text-based" (algorithmic) detail design tool.
Pseudocode
• Using pseudocode involves writing down all the steps used
in your program
• Statements can begin with start/begin and can end with
stop/halt/end/terminate
• The statements between the start and end look like ordinary
English but can be somewhat formal
Example 1: Number Doubling Program
// This is a comment – Single Line Comments
/*This is also a comment – Multiple Line comment*/

1) Start
2) Write “Enter number: ”
3) Input myNumber
4) Set myAnswer = myNumber * 2
5) Write myAnswer
6) End
 Example 1: Number-doubling program
// This is a comment – Single Line #include <iostream>
Comments using namespace std;

/*This is also a comment – Multiple

int main( ) {
Line comment*/
// Single Line Comments
1) Start /*This is a Multiple Line comment*/
2) Write “Enter number: ” int myNumber, myAnswer;
3) Input myNumber cout << “Enter number:”<< endl;
cin >> myNumber;
4) Set myAnswer = myNumber * 2
myAnswer = myNumber * 2;
5) Write myAnswer cout << myAnswer;
6) End return 0;
}
Example 2
• Pseudocode for addition program might look as:

1) Start
2) //Prompt for first and second number
3) Write “Enter first and second numbers”
4) Input num1, num2
5) Calculate sum = num1 + num2
6) Write “The results is “ + sum
7) End
Example 2
1) Start #include <iostream>

2) //Prompt for first and second number using namespace std;

3) Write “Enter first and second numbers”

int main( ) {
4) Input num1, num2
/*Addition program*/
5) Calculate sum = num1 + num2 int num1, num2, sum;
6) Write “The results is “ + sum cout<<“Enter first and second numbers”;
7) End cin >> num1 >> num2;
sum = num1 + num2;
cout << “The results is ”<< sum;
return 0;
}
Try
1. Write an algorithm in pseudocode to find the profit on
each item bought in a shop.
2. Write an algorithm in pseudocode to find the area and
perimeter of a rectangle.
Flow charts
• This is a diagram that uses special symbols to display
pictorially the flow of execution within a program or a
program module.
• It is a formalized graphic representation of a program’s logic
sequence, a work or manufacturing process, or any similar
structure.
• It provides an easy, clear way to see which pieces of code
follow the various programming structures that all programs
are constructed from.
Creating flow charts
• A programmer would create a flow-chart to aid in
understanding the flow of a program.
• Herman Goldstine (developers of ENIAC) first developed flowcharts
with John von Neumann at Princeton University in the late 1946 and
early 1947.
• Interactive flowcharting programs are available for creating
flow charts
• Raptor, MS word templates, etc
Flow Chart Symbols
• A typical flowchart will include some or all of the following
symbols;
• Start and End symbols are represented as ovals or
rounded rectangles.
• Arrows show the flow of control. An arrow coming from
one symbol and ending at another symbol represents that
control passes to the symbol to which the arrow points.
• Processing steps are represented as rectangles.
Flow Chart Symbols
• Input/Output steps are represented as parallelograms.
• Conditional (or decision or selection) segments are
represented as diamond shapes. These typically contain a
Yes/No question or a True/False test.
• This symbol has two arrows coming out of it.
Flow
Chart
Symbols
Example 1
Pseudocode: Flowchart:
1) start start

2) input myNumber
3) set myAnswer = myNumber * 2 Input myNumber

4) write myAnswer
Set myAnswer = myNumber * 2
5) end

write myAnswer

end
Example 2
Pseudocode:
1) Start
2) Prompt for user temperature in Fahrenheit
3) Input temperature
4) Calculate temperature in Celsius by subtracting 32 from
Fahrenheit and multiplying by 5 and dividing the result by 9
5) Display the temperature in Celsius
6) End
Example 2
start

Flow chart:
Prompt for user temperature in Fahrenheit

Input temperature

Calculate temperature in Celsius by subtracting 32 from Fahrenheit and multiplying by

5 and dividing the result by 9

Display the temperature in Celsius

end