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Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. [1] [2] It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of procedures, by writing code in one or more programming languages.
A programming language's surface form is known as its syntax. Most programming languages are purely textual; they use sequences of text including words, numbers, and punctuation, much like written natural languages. On the other hand, some programming languages are graphical, using visual relationships between symbols to specify a program.
The syntax of a computer program is a list of production rules which form its grammar. [96] A programming language's grammar correctly places its declarations, expressions, and statements. [97] Complementing the syntax of a language are its semantics. The semantics describe the meanings attached to various syntactic constructs. [98]
program in a given programming language. This is one measure of a programming language's ease of use. Since the program is meant as an introduction for people unfamiliar with the language, a more complex "Hello, World!" program may indicate that the programming language is less approachable. [19] For instance, the first publicly known "Hello ...
A programming paradigm is a relatively high-level way to conceptualize and structure the implementation of a computer program. A programming language can be classified as supporting one or more paradigms.
Scripting is often contrasted with system programming, as in Ousterhout's dichotomy or "programming in the large and programming in the small". In this view, scripting is glue code, connecting software components, and a language specialized for this purpose is a glue language.
The phrase grammar of most programming languages can be specified using a Type-2 grammar, i.e., they are context-free grammars, [8] though the overall syntax is context-sensitive (due to variable declarations and nested scopes), hence Type-1. However, there are exceptions, and for some languages the phrase grammar is Type-0 (Turing-complete).
A programming tool or software development tool is a computer program that is used to develop another computer program, usually by helping the developer manage computer files. For example, a programmer may use a tool called a source code editor to edit source code files, and then a compiler to convert the source code into machine code files.