Computer programming is undoubtedly one of the sectors that has caused the greatest impact on the lifestyle of the modern world. Today we all use at least one program or mobile application a day; Whatsapp, Facebook, Windows, Google Chrome, all are desktop or mobile software that have seen the light of day thanks to this complex science.
As far as programming is concerned, without a doubt one of the most important elements are programming languages. There are many of them and each one has been developed thinking of promoting the development of a certain type of program.but every software or application is written with one of them.
In this article we are going to teach you everything you need to know about programming languages, those that have allowed the creation of the browser that you are using right now to read this article and many other programs and applications more.
What is a programming language and what is it for in computing?
A programming language is a formal language that allows a programmer to write code to create computer programs. These programs contain a source code in which all the command lines and algorithms written in code are written.which later goes through a compiler to translate it into machine-like language, the most basic and elemental of all that is understood by the computer.
Programming languages are unique, and as new advances are made and more powerful techniques for creating software are developed, New languages are also being developed that allow the creation of much more complex applications..
What are the most important elements of a programming language?
A programming language has very well-defined features and elements that directly influence its limitations and potential.
Here we present the most important elements of any programming language:
variables
Variables are spaces in a program’s memory that store important data for its operation, such as complex processes or command sequences. These are classified according to the type of data they can store, and in this sense we know the following:
Data type Description Char Variables containing a single character, either a letter or a number Int Contains only an integer. Float Contains only a decimal number. String They contain text strings of the type Char or vectors with strings of them. Boolean Variables that can only contain a zero or a one.
conditionals
They are text strings that, as their name indicates, condition certain program functions in their code so that they are executed only if various factors are met.
In this sense there are three of them; “If”, that imposes the conditions that must be met for the execution of the software; “else if”, indicates under what conditions the program can be executed if the condition is not met. “If”, so it is usually preceded by one; Y “Else”, which imposes the conditions for the program or a part of it to run if the previous two are not met, so it is usually preceded by both or at least one of them.
functions
Functions are variables that contain their own code inside, so that they can be used to avoid having to always rewrite the same function or command throughout the program’s source code. The process of writing a program may require you to mention the same ability of the program repeatedly.which was previously done.
These functional variables are created with the intention of simplifying the process by indicating with a shorter snippet that the program should execute a function that was preset earlier in your code.
Syntax
The syntax of a programming language defines the possible combinations of its textual elements (numbers, letters and signs), to create a semantically perfect program that works without errors in your code. In most cases, the languages are purely textual, but programs with graphical syntax can also be identified, since their nature is more visual than written.
static semantics
If the syntax is the correct form of the expressions, static semantics allows the programmer to identify expressions within a language and learn their meaning. This is used to define restrictions on text structures that cannot be expressed with a standard formal expression of the language as such.. This can be in two ways; dynamic or operational.
type system
We are now entering rather complex terrain. A type system is like a language organizing certain values in its structure into “types”., also defining how they interact with each other and the way in which they can or cannot be manipulated. Thanks to them, it is possible to verify errors and programs poorly described in said language, discarding them, although sometimes it could also rule out correct programs.
It is for this last reason that many languages choose to eliminate said “types”, which has allowed them to be known as untyped languages. As for those that do use a type system, we can identify the following:
- Static: statically typed languages are those that determine the “type” of all expressions and their value before they are executed by the software in question. They can be “explicit” in two ways; when the programmer is the one who must manually write each type, or “inferred”; when the compiler is in charge of inferring and determining the values.
- Dynamics: On the other hand, there are dynamically typed languages, which determine the validity of a type before its execution, these being related to execution values instead of simple textual expressions. Like inferred statics, they should not be written by the programmer, but by the compiler or some other element of the language.
- strong and weak: finally there are the strong and weak typings. The first one prevents a “type” from being treated like any other, granting it specific rules, while the second one is totally the opposite of it, and allows more freedoms in that sense.
Programming Language Types How are they all classified?
Programming languages have various ways of being classified, and below we are going to present the most important classifications with some examples of the most popular languages for each one.
According to level
The first classification of programming languages is based on their level of abstraction, or what is the same, depending on how specific and universal they are.
In this sense, the following are known:
- low level: these are languages developed for hardware and cannot be used outside of hardware. His intention is to get the most out of it, with the limitation that it cannot work on any other. Some of the most important in this category are C++ or Fortran.
- High level: these are completely opposite to the previous ones and can be used in different equipment and hardware architectures. Its intention is to be more universal and to be able to be used with more freedoms. Some of the most important in this category are Basic or Pascal.
- mid-level: These are programs that are halfway between low and high level, so they can use various functions of high-level languages, with the potential to focus on a certain system architecture. One of the most popular is C Basic.
By paradigm
The process to develop a program or software life cycle has different paradigms that in turn have allowed the birth of new languages. For this reason, there is also a classification by paradigms in terms of computer programming languages.
In this sense we can identify the following:
- Imperative: imperative programming is based on the creation of algorithms that contain mechanized instructions for carrying out a process or software function. To imagine these programs, think of a cooking recipe in which the procedure to follow is indicated step by step, and the ingredients to get the final dish.
- object oriented: Object orientation is based on the imperative paradigm, with the difference that it includes each process in “objects”, which are related to each other and contain variables and values of different functions of the program. The most representative languages of this are C++, Java and Pyton.
- Dynamics: Dynamic programming is one that seeks to streamline the process for writing a program as much as possible, thus fragmenting all the processes into mini-processes in which they work individually until the best possible result is achieved. For this, functional languages such as Haskell are used.
- Functional: functional programs are written according to functions that are activated according to the input of data received from the user. That is, they are not fully activated, but only start what is necessary to fulfill said function. The most important languages of this are Haskell and Scheme.
- event oriented: These are programs in which their execution depends on the conditions given by the system and the user. This is one of the newer paradigms on the list, born in 2013, so it is also being further studied so far. Some of the languages of this would be Lexico and Visual Basic, as well as the popular Javascript that has always had similar characteristics to this.
- Declarative: Declarative programming consists of indicating and declaring to the system what the problem is, without giving logical orders for its solution. In these software the programmer only indicates the event, and clearly expresses what is to be obtained with its solution, but does not explain how it should be solved, and this task is given to the computer itself. Examples: Lisp and Prolog.
- logic programming: In this paradigm, logical relationships are described that interact with each other to initiate processes and functions of the program. Functional languages such as Prolog are also used for it.
- Multiparadigm: this is a philosophy that tries to combine multiple paradigms in writing the same software. As you have noticed, there are languages, such as functional ones, that can be used to program with other philosophies. Some of the most important in this regard are Pyton, Prolog or Lisp.
for generations
Finally, we have the classification by generations, which is nothing more than a way of placing certain languages in the time in which they were created. Throughout history there have been five generations of programming languages, and today you will know them all:
- First generation: born the same day that machine-like language (binary code) is discovered, which is the only one that computers understand. At that time, this element was discovered, but also the fact that each system had its own architecture that only understood certain languages, which would be known as low-level languages, whose first…
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