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Superglossary - Programming Category: Technical and IT > Coding Date & country: 09/12/2013, USA Words: 113

Algorithm
Process/routine/method to solve a problem

Analog Pin
On the arduino, the analog pins enable reading of voltage. The voltage on the pin is interpreted as

Argument
Extra information which the computer uses to perform commands. Some commands have stricter requireme

Array
An array is a collection of variables that are accessed with an index number. An array is declared w

Ascii
American standard code for information interchange (ascii) is a set of definitions for 128 character

Assignment
Giving a value to a variable. If a variable is seen as a container for data, assignment is filling t

Associated Type
An associated type is a type that is used to describe the requirements of a concept, but is not actu

Attributes
Within a class, an attribute is a defined quality of that class. It is similar in function to a stri

Bang Line
In interpreted languages such as python, one is allowed to tell the computer where to find the pytho

Bitwise
Operations bitwise operations work at the bit level of variables. These are the and (&) operator (no

Block
Chunk of code between curly braces {}

Boolean
Boolean variables or bool hold one of two values

Byte
In both processing and arduino, the byte stores an 8-bit number, from 0 to 255. Byte is an unsigned

Capacitor
Capacitors are another element used to control the flow of charge in a circuit. The name derives fro

Cast
A cast translates one variable type into another and forces calculations to be performed in the cast

Cgi
Short for the common gateway interface. Cgi specifies the way a web browser (client) can request or

Char
A char takes up 1 byte of memory and stores a character value written in single quotes, like 'a'. Th

Class
A class is a prototype for an object in processing or c++. It can be used to create an instance of t

Classes
Classes are blueprints for commonly used and related variables and functions. An instance of a class

Comment
Comments help you understand (or remember) how your program works or inform others how your program

Comments
/* label your code, write yourself a note! */

Comparison
Comparison operators are operators that compare two values, like != (not equal to) or == (equal to),

Compiler Error
An error that causes the compiler to produce an error message and fail

Concatenate
To combine two or more strings such that they become a new string value.

Concept
A concept contains a set of requirements that describe a family of abstractions, typically data type

Concept-Based Overloading
Concept-based overloading selects the most specific algorithm from a set of specializations of a giv

Conceptual Abstraction
The ability for people to create different points of view on a design, depending on the relevant deg

Condition
A boolean expression used to control conditionals and loops.

Conditional
An if-statement.

Constant
A constant is a value that does not change within a program. It cannot be reassociated with a differ

Constraint
A constraint is a requirement placed on the type parameters to a generic algorithm. Constraints are

Constructor
The constructor of a class is the method that will be called when an instance of that class is creat

Cpp File
In an of or other kind of c++ class, the .cpp file is where all the definitions for a class are stor

Declaration
At the top of the function, state your variables' types.

Define
The #define operator defines a value that persists throughout an entire application. For instance

Dereferencing
Dereferencing a pointer returns the value of the variable that the pointer points to. For instance:

Digital
In the arduino controller, the digital pins accept or send digital signals. The signal values are ei

Diode
The diode acts like a one-way valve for current, and this is a very useful characteristic. One appli

Doc String
A string which follows a function in order to detail its purpose in a way that is easily accessible

Double
A double is a very large floating-point number consisting of 8 bytes (64 bits) that can represent nu

Encapsulation
The physical separation of different subtasks, e.g., into separate classes, source code files or mod

Evaluate
To find the value of an expression

Event Handler
An event handler is called when a certain event happens. In processing applications, the mousemoved(

Expression
Anything that has a value, e.g., 'a + b' or '(a == b)' or 'c++'

Flag
A boolean variable to convey true-false info. In c, an int.

Float
A float is a number that has a decimal point. Floating-point numbers can be as large as 3.4028235e+3

For
The for loop repeats a block of statements enclosed in curly braces until the condition is met. An i

Formatting
Indent stuff nicely, etc. Compiler ignores it:, tas don't.

Function
Something that is called with parentheses, e.g., sqrt(). Specifically, a portion of code that is des

Function Call
A function call is another way to refer to calling a method that has been declared and defined elsew

Header File
In an openframeworks class or arduino library, the .h or header file is where the declarations of a

If-Else
An if is used with a comparison operator and tests whether a certain condition is true or false

Ifdef
The #ifdef operator checks whether something has been defined using the #define keyword. It must be

Ifndef
The #ifndef operator checks whether something has not been defined using the #define keyword. It mus

Inheritance
Inheritance is the process of having one class extend another class. When a class extends another cl

Integer
An integer is a numerical value that does not have a decimal point. It represents either of the foll

Iteration
The repetition of a loop in which the computer repeatedly does something. Iteration is also known as

Lifting
Lifting is the process by which the differences among multiple, concrete implementations of the same

Logic Error
An error that the computer never notices, but that you notice because your darn program doesn't do w

Long
Long variables are extended-size variables for number storage, and on arduino and of they can store

Loop
The repetition of code based upon certain conditions expressed by one of the following conditionals:

Method
A method is a function that is declared within a class.

Method Declaration
This is the declaration of a function within a class, where its signature is defined. In c++, this i

Method Definition
In c++, this is done in the .cpp file and looks like this

Methods
In object-oriented programming, a function that is defined as part of a class is one of that class'

Model
A model is a type or set of types that meets the requirements of a concept. An integer pointer is a

Modular Decomposition
The design that results from stepwise refinement, since your design has been 'decomposed' into modul

Modules
Modules are small pieces of pre-written python code that you can import into your programs. Using th

Nesting
When you put one thing inside another, e.g., a conditional inside a loop, a loop inside a conditiona

Object
An object is an instance of a class. It therefore has all of the same attributes and methods of that

Object-Oriented Programming
Object-oriented programming is a programming paradigm that focuses by constructing objects (instance

Operation
Statements which use programming commands to tell a computer to do something.

operator
An operator is a function that operates on or modifies a value or function. +, =, and / are mathemat

Operators
A built-in function such as *, +, -, /, for, while, if, =

Pin
On the arduino, the pins are the ports that connect into the microprocessor. There are analog, digit

Pointer
A pointer is a type in c++ and c that points to a section in memory. They are most often used to pas

Potentiometer
A potentiometer is a resistor that is usually controlled directly by the user, allowing the amount o

Protocol
A protocol is a set format for exchanging information. When you phone someone, their number must be

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)
Is a way of simulating an analog output by varying high and low signals at intervals proportional to

Rdbms
Rdbms is the abbreviation for 'relational database management system', a system for the creation, ma

Recursion
Recursion is a process by which a method calls itself over again until some process is complete or s

Reference
A reference is the location in memory that a variable points to. You can use references to set the v

Refinement
Refinement is a hierarchical relationship between two concepts. If b refines a, then the requirement

Regular Expressions
A regular expression, or regex, is a term that signifies or matches a set of expressions. The set si

Requirement
A requirement is part of a concept that describes the behavior of an abstraction. Requirements tend

Resistor
Resistors are electrical components that resist the flow of charge. The value of a resistor is measu

Retroactive Modeling
Retroactive modeling allows types to model concepts without modifying the types in question. Retroac

Return
This statement sets what a function returns. In c++ and java, the return type is indicated in the si

Run-Time Error
an error that does not disrupt compiling, but causes your program to abort with an error message whe

Scope
Scope defines the area of an application or method in which a variable is accessible. Most variables

Serial
Serial is a library in the arduino core software that enables serial communication using the rs232 p

Shell
When speaking of python programming, there are two shells that are commonly referenced. The first is

Short
A short is a datatype that represent a small int, using 2 bytes instead of 4 like a c++ or java int.

Signed
Signed numerical values can have negative numbers assigned to them. This usually means that the firs

Specialization
Specialization allows multiple implementations of the same algorithm, each of which has different co

SQL
Sql stands for the structured query language. It is a standard language used for querying rdbms.

Statement
A command line that ends with a semicolon.

Static
Marking a method as static means that it is available from a class whether or not an instance of tha

Stepwise Refinement
The 'divide and conquer' strategy to computer programming. Start with the main goal, and break it do

String
A string is construct available in processing and c++, which represents a series of characters that