Book Image

Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners

By : Joakim Wassberg
4 (1)
Book Image

Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners

4 (1)
By: Joakim Wassberg

Overview of this book

Learning how to code has many advantages, and gaining the right programming skills can have a massive impact on what you can do with your current skill set and the way you advance in your career. This book will be your guide to learning computer programming easily, helping you overcome the difficulties in understanding the major constructs in any mainstream programming language. Computer Programming for Absolute Beginners starts by taking you through the building blocks of any programming language with thorough explanations and relevant examples in pseudocode. You'll understand the relationship between computer programs and programming languages and how code is executed on the computer. The book then focuses on the different types of applications that you can create with your programming knowledge. You'll delve into programming constructs, learning all about statements, operators, variables, and data types. As you advance, you'll see how to control the flow of your programs using control structures and reuse your code using functions. Finally, you'll explore best practices that will help you write code like a pro. By the end of this book, you'll be prepared to learn any programming language and take control of your career by adding coding to your skill set.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
1
Section 1: Introduction to Computer Programs and Computer Programming
6
Section 2: Constructs of a Programming Language
7
Chapter 5: Sequence – The Basic Building Block of a Computer Program
14
Section 3: Best Practices for Writing High-Quality Code
Appendix B: Dictionary
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W

Writing code with readability in mind

Code that you write will not only be executed by the computer. It will also be read both by yourself and by others. Therefore, is it essential that you write code that is as easy to read and understand as possible.

There are some simple rules we can follow that will assist in achieving readable code.

Using comments and documentation wisely

When creating code, you need an understanding what you do and why you do it. But when coming back to your code a couple of months later, it is not always as clear what these thoughts were and why you wrote things the way you did. Commenting on tricky lines of code is a great way to document your thoughts for both your future self and others that will read your code.

But comments can also make the code less readable. Never comment on things that are obvious – things that any programmer, including yourself, will understand.

You should use comments when you look at a line of code and understand...