Integrated Development Environments (IDE)

Question 1

What is an IDE?

Answer 1

A piece of software that provides features to help a programmer to develop their program. Most IDEs will have similar features.

Question 2

What are some features of IDEs?

Answer 2

• code editor
• run-time environment
• explorer window
• output window
• error diagnostics and debugging tools
• breakpoints

Question 3

What is the code editor?

Answer 3

• main part of an IDE
• where code is written
• most will have line numbering and auto-colour coding for things like strings, functions, loops, variables and comments.
• good code editors will have automatic features like auto-correct, auto-indentation and auto-complete.

Question 4

What is the run-time environment?

Answer 4

• allows the code to be run quickly inside the IDE
• done using a start or run button
• can also help identify logic errors as the programmer can see which part of the code is running when errors occur.

Question 5

What is an explorer window?

Answer 5

• help navigate through programs

Question 6

What is an output window?

Answer 6

• show the output from a program when it’s run

Question 7

What are good features of an IDE?

Answer 7

• features that keep track of line number and character number that you’re working on

Question 8

What are error diagnostics and debugging tools?

Answer 8

• help to find and fix errors
• tell you location of the error
• often suggest ways to fix errors

Question 9

What are breakpoints?

Answer 9

• common debugging tool
• they stop the program on certain lines so you can gather information like the value of variables as the program is running.

Question 10

What are common features of an IDE?

Answer 10

• translator
• auto-documentation
• graphical user interface (GUI) builder

Question 11

What is a translator?

Answer 11

• compiler, interpreter to both
• translates source code into machine code
• if IDE has both can take advantage of each translator’s best features.

Question 12

What is auto-documentation?

Answer 12

• helps with maintenance of programs
• can extract certain features of a program, like names of variables, names of sub-programs and comments.
• the information is stored in a separate document to give a summary of what the code does.

Question 13

What is a graphical user interface (GUI) builder?

Answer 13

• helps the programmer design a interface by building it up graphically rather than having to design it using source code.
• allows you to drag and drop different objects and customise them, so you can make the interface look exactly how’d you like.