Chapter 10 - Software Programming Flashcards
Active Server Pages (ASP)
Programming language used to build websites with interactive capabilities
- adapts HTML page to the user’s selections
AJAX
A collection of technologies that allow the creation of web applications that can update information on a page without requiring the user to refresh or leave the page
Application Programming Interface (API)
A set of software routines that allows one software system to work with another
Algorithm
A set of specific, sequential steps that describe exactly what the computer program must do to complete the required work
Architecture neutral
A feature of Java whereby code needs to be compiled only once after which the code can be run on many different CPUs
Assembly language
A computer language that allows programmers to write programs using a set of short, English-like commands that speak directly to the CPU and that give the programmer direct control of hardware resources
Base class
In object-oriented analysis, the original class
Beta version
A version of the software that is still under development
- many are available for a limited trial period and are used to help the developers correct any errors before they launch the software on the market
Binary decision
A type of decision point in an algorithm that can be answered in one of only two ways: yes or no (true or false)
C
A programming language originally developed for system programmers
C++
A programming language that takes C to an object-oriented level
C#
A Microsoft programming language developed to compete with Java
Class
A category of input identified in object-oriented analysis
- defined by information and actions
Code editing
The step of programming in which a programmer types the code to be executed
Coding
Translating an algorithm into a programming language
Comment
A note left by a programmer in the program code to explain the purpose of a section of code, to indicate the date the program was written, or to include other important information about the code so that programmers can more easily understand and update it
Compilation
The process by which code is converted into machine language - the language the CPU can understand
Compiler
A program that understands both the syntax of the programming language and the exact structure of the CPU and its machine language
Control structure
General term used for a keyword in a programming language that allows the programmer to direct the flow of the program based on a decision
Data
Numbers, words, pictures or sounds that represent facts, figures or ideas
- raw input that users have at the start of a job
Data-flow diagram
A file that contains stored data
Data type
Diagrams that trace all data in an information system from the point at which data enters he system to its final resting place (storage or output)
Debugger
A tool in an integrated development environment that helps programmers analyze a program as it runs
Debugging
The process of running a program over and over to find and repair errors and to make sure the program behaves in the way it should
Decision point
A place where a program must choose from a list of actions based on the value of a certain input
Derived class
In object-oriented analysis, the modified class
Documentation
Description of the technical details of the software, how the code works and how the user interacts with the program and all the necessary user documentation that will be distributed to the program’s users
Dynamic decision making
The ability of a web page to decide how to display itself based on the choices the reader makes
Editor
A special tool in an integrated development environment that helps programmers as they enter code
Error handling
The part of a problem statement where programmers describe what the program should do if the input data is invalid or just gibberish
Executable program
The binary sequence that instructs the CPU to run the programmer’s code
extensible Markup Language (XML)
A markup language that enables designers to define their own data-based tags, making it much easier for a website to transfer the key information on its page to another site
- defines what data is being described rather than how it is to be displayed
Fifth-generation language (5GL)
A computer language in which a problem is presented as a series of facts or constraints instead of as a specific algorithm and the system of facts can then be queried
- considered most “natural” of languages
First-generation language (1GL)
The machine language of a CPU
- sequence of bits that CPU understands
Flowchart
Visual diagram of a process, including the decisions that need to be made along the way
For
In Visual Basic, programmers use this keyword to implement a loop
- after For, an input or output item is given a starting value, and then the statements in the body of the loop are executed
Fourth-generation language (4GL)
A computer language type that includes database query languages and report generators
General availability
The point in the release cycle where after release to manufacturers, software is available for purchase by the public