Basic programming course: Lesson #1 - Introduction to programming

Hello everyone! Today I am here to participate in the basic programming course by @alejos7ven. It is about learning the basics programming. If you want to join then:

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Join here: Basic programming course: Lesson #1 - Introduction to programming

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Let's start exploring this course by completing the tasks given by the professor.

Task 1. Describe in your own words an algorithm of some activity you do daily.

I am a flutter developer and I like to develop mobile applications. While the development process I have to follow the algorithms. As my daily routine I am going to share an algorithm of flutter mobile application development from my daily activity.

I have chosen an algorithm of Building and Testing a Basic Flutter App. I have broken down the algorithm into 7 steps:

1. Starting Development Environment
   First of all I start the development environment such as Android studio on which I have to develop through application.

2. Create a new Flutter Project
   Then I create a new Flutter project to initiate the application development. I ensure that the project has all the necessary files and plugins.

3. Design UI
   Then I design the user interface. To design it I open the main.dart file and then choose the state widgets according to the UI requirements. I use widgets like appBar, Text, Column, Row, Buttons, etc.

4. Apply Logic
   For the proper interactions and working I apply the logic to the widgets so that they can work according to the requirements. I add the required functions in dart language.

5. App Testing
   Then it comes to development phase. I connect my physical device and I stall the application in it for the testing. I tests all the functionality of the application.

6. Debug and Refine
   I check the logs in the terminal to see the errors. To fix the errors I make necessary changes to the code.

7. Development Session End
   Now the development Session ends. The app has been built and tested.

So it is a complete algorithm for building and testing an application using flutter and dart. If I say that each step is itself had an algorithm then if will not be wrong because the sub-steps involved in each step represent the algorithm of that major step. So this is how an algorithm works for me on a daily activity.

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Task 2. What is the importance of programming languages in the world? How do they help us?

Language is actually a way of communication and each language has it's own importance and it is used to communicate with others. Each country even each area has it's own specific language which is used to communicate with the people of that area because they understand that specific language.

Similarly programming languages are also important and they are a key to give commands to the computers. Programming languages are the backbone of the software development and ultimately modern technology. Their importance can be understood from the following points:

Communication with Machines
Programming languages are used to communicate with the computers. They are used to instruct them to perform the desired tasks. Without these languages it is impossible to communicate with the computers.

Foundation of Software
Programming languages are the foundation of all the software applications. All the applicants and operating systems are built with programming languages. Currently I am using Steemit website the foundation of this website is also programming languages. They are used to create the structures as well as to make the functioning software applications.

Task Automation
Programming languages automates our tasks. It increases the speed of the work. It is really beneficial at the industrial level.

Data Processing
Programming languages play their role in the data processing. For example we can use python and R languages for the quick data processing.

Web Development
Programming languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript are used for the web development. Websites are in great use in our daily life. You can see the example of Steemit. No any website can be developed without programming languages.

Mobile and Desktop Applications
Programming languages are used to develop mobile as well as desktop applications. We use the apps on a daily basis from social media to banking.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
We can develop artificially intelligence systems using the advance programming languages.

Scientific Research
Programming languages also play their role in the scientific tasks and research. They make the research more efficient and smooth.

So on the whole we can say that programming languages are important in each field. They solve the real world problems efficiently. They increase the productivity of the work by automating the tasks. Most importantly programming languages provide career opportunities.

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Task 3. What do you need while programming?

^{Image by Евгения from Pixabay}
There are several key points which should be considered during programming. In order to develop, test and maintain the softwares these things are needed:

Tools and Environment

In order to start programming it requires the programming environment and the tools to do programming. It needs integrated development environment which provide functions to perorform programming. Sometimes we use simple text editor for the simple and quick tasks.

Then we need a compiler to computer the programs and yo get their output. For example we use dev c++ for the compilation of c++ programming language.

After that we need some debugging tools to find the errors and to resolve them.

Programming Knowledge

It is important to have programming knowledge to perform programming. One should has knowledge of basic syntax and semantics of the programming languages.

One should have the knowledge of the basic algorithms such as searching and sorting. Data structures knowledge is also of great importance to solve the problems efficiently.

One should have the knowledge to integrate the libraries. There is the need of knowledge to breakdown the complex problems.

Personal Qualities

Programming needs continuous patience and persistence. We can face many failures while writing and running the code. If we do not have patience and courage to face the errors then programming can overwhelm us.

The errors can take time to be resolved. Sometimes a minor mistake causes the whole program to be failed and due to the hectic we become unable to find that mistake. At that time we need some break and long deep breath to analyse the code again carefully.

In order to solve the complex problems we should have logical thinking and creativity.

Programming requires more than just typing the code but it requires mastering the tools and shortcuts of the tools for the fast programming.

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Task 4. Write your first "Hello world!" Using pseudo-code.

Pseudo-code is the description of the steps in an algorithm. It is an informal way of programming. It does not require the strict syntax of the programming languages. It is actually the rough draft of the program. We can use it to define the algorithms. It can work like the flow chart. It defines the flow of the program. Pseudo code helps the humans to understand the algorithms of the program in a n easy way.

Let's see an example of the pseudo code.

Algorithm printHello
Print "Hello World!";
EndAlgorithm


Explanation

Algorithm printHello: This code defines the name of the algorithm which in this case is printHello. It represents the start of the logic of the program.

Print "Hello World!"; : This command instructs the system to print Hello World! And this text is shown on the screen in the console after the compilation.

EndAlgorithm: It tells the end of the algorithm. It shows that the logic for the program has been completed.

Working of the Program
It algorithm defines the working of the code which is given below:

• Start the algorithm.
• Print the message "Hello World!".
• End the algorithm.

This is how we write pseudo code for the programs to understand the algorithm and working of the programs. It makes it easy to understand the complex programs.

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Conclusion

Programming is the foundation of all the software applications. In our daily life we use different algorithms knowingly and unknowingly. Even we eat it is an algorithm. Similarly in the programming ;language we use the algorithms to understand the flow of the program and to resolve the complex problems. Programming not only serves as a communication tool for the machines but it is also the backbone of the different industries. Web development, mobile application development, desktop software development as well as artificial intelligence systems are based on the programming language. If I say that programming has become an essential for many industries then it will not be wrong. The future of tech lies under the programming.