Generic Code

• Permalink
• Posted: September 26, 2008
• By: Tieson
• Tags: Pseudocode, Planning, Development

Generic code, otherwise known as Pseudo-code, is simply writing out the logic of your program in plain text. This can be as basic as:

Start Program

Get Input From User
Perform Calculations
Display Results

End Program

or, for those wanting something a bit more complicated:

Begin Program

' Declare variables to hold user data.
string user_name
integer user_age

' Get user's name and age.
Print Please enter your name: , Store to user_name
Print Please enter you age: , Store to user_age

' Echo input back out to screen.
Print Thank you, , user_name, !
Print The age you entered was: , user_age, .
Print

' Echo message out to user before terminating program.
Print Press any key to end program...

End Program .

Well, that's neat, but why would I do that?

Pseudo-code is normally used in conjunction with UML during the planning stage of your program. Note the implied suggestion here: plan before you code! While it is possible to simply sit down and start hacking out code in your favorite editor, it is a bad habit to get into.

In my personal experience, lack of planning always led me to redundant code and/or bad logic. The time I wasted going back and forth between errors could have been dramatically lessened if I had simply spent a little more time planning out what I wanted my program to accomplish.

This seems like a lot of work...

At first, it probably will be. After all, if you knew what you were doing, why would you be in class? Silly...

What I believe you will eventually discover is that the process of diagramming and pseudo-coding becomes second nature. You will be able to put together a mock-up of your program quickly, present it for approval, and be coding in short order. And THAT, my friends, makes potential employers happy... :)