Treffer: Procedural Programming

The goal of COMP 118 is to give the student practical programming skills they can put to use in everyday work with computer systems. Programming in one form or another permeates work with computers. Automating a word processing task using VBA, creating a dynamic web page using Javascript and DOM, composing a database query using SQL, designing a spreadsheet, creating a Flash-based animation using ActionScript, converting data from one format to another using Perl, and making a web site interactive using CGI scripting are all programming tasks. COMP 118 is an introductory course in computer programming that covers the fundamental principles of structured procedural programming in such practical settings. While a number of languages in several environments will be examined in COMP 118 the core language used will be Python. Python is an untyped scripting language that encourages object oriented programming. Free high-quality implementations of it are available for all common (and several uncommon!) platforms. In addition there is a wealth of free online resources (including numerous tutorials and some complete texts) on programming in Python. Through its use to solve practical everyday problems by writing programs the elements of programming--problem analysis, algorithm design and program implementation--will be introduced. The bulk of the course is spent practicing program design as new elements are added to the student's knowledge of Python. Topics covered include simple data types, sequential operations, selection statements, iterative statements, functions, and data aggregations. Where appropriate Python's object oriented facilities will be introduced. Good programming practices are emphasized throughout, including: top-down design, modularization, code re-use, debugging techniques, and creating useful documentation.