Why Programming Basics?

Programming is a fundamental skill needed to make a career in any software-related industry. Be it gaming, telecom, IT, or e-commerce. The programming basics course focuses on early programming concepts that are omnipresent in almost all major programming languages.

Programming Basics:

• Building block to enter into the programming world
• It is independent of any programming language 
• Focuses on the basics of a programming language
• Common programming constructs
• Linear vs. conditional flow 
• Looping 
• Variables and constants as part of any programming language
• A modular approach using functions
• Summarizing all starting concepts

Features of Programming Basics course

• Focus on basics of programming: Computer programming is the science of designing and coding a computer program which is nothing but a sequence of instructions in a Computer Programming Language that performs a specified task by the computer. In order to make a career in the software industry, strong programming skills are a must, and that can only be built once the basics are understood properly. This course focuses on the first principles of programming and makes you ready to imbibe advanced concepts.

• Language agnostic: This course is on generic programming concepts that apply to most of the programming languages but does not teach or recommend any specific programming language. For instance, most of the early programmers write Hello World! as their first program. This is generic; how it is written in C or C++ or Python becomes specific to the underlying programming language. 

• Introduction to common programming constructs: This course introduces basic programming constructs such as variables, data types, operators, conditionals, and functions in an easy-to-understand manner. A data type is the categorization of data that tells the compiler or interpreter how the programmer intends to use the data, what kind of range it will have, and how much memory is needed for it. It will be present in all programming languages, and they support various types of data, including integer, real, character or string, and Boolean. Variables denote names assigned to computer memory locations within a program used to store values in a computer program. Any program in any language will require deep knowledge of these basics and prepare you for advanced topics such as pointers, inheritance, templates, etc.

• Linear and conditional Flow: Computer programs solve real-world problems that are complex and multidimensional. Hence, the flow of a program would be a mix of linear ( step by step ) or conditional ( jump to a section based on some condition). Computer programming uses conditionals, i.e., conditional statements, conditional expressions, and conditional constructs, to make decisions and take the next steps based on the outcome of the decision. To drill further down, conditionals perform different computations or actions depending on whether a programmer-defined Boolean condition evaluates true or false. This alters the flow of the program based on the decision. Common conditionals constructs used are if-else or switch statements.

• Loop constructs: Nearly every high-level programming language provides a concept called loop for executing one or more statements N number of times. Its exact syntax may differ from language to language, but all high-level programming languages provide some form of looping construct. A loop can be understood as a repeating block of code till a certain number of times. Most of the programming algorithmic complexity comes from loops. Common loop constructs are for, while, and do..while.

• Prepare base for modular programming: Modular programming is a software designing framework that advocates dividing the functionality of a program into independent, complete, and interchangeable modules, such that each module is self-contained to execute one part of the desired functionality. Usually, it is achieved by using functions or classes to break the functionality into smaller parts and achieve the smaller part. Functions are also called methods or procedures. Functions are the alternative to writing repeating blocks of code in a program. Functions also increase the reusability of code. All programming functions have input and output. The function is a set of instructions used to create the output from its input. Function follows the dictum, write-once use repeatedly over and over again. Functions can be "called" from the inside of other functions. Functions are the smallest and most natural unit to test as you code software. This course teaches you the basics of functions and their use in programming. 

About This Course:

The programming Basics course is a stepping stone for developing strong programming skills that are needed to excel in the software industry. It is language-independent and does not have any pre-requisite conditions. On successful completion of this course, you will be ready to learn advanced programming concepts.  

This Programming Basics course offered to you by Great Learning is free and will help you understand the basics of programming. Once you successfully complete this course, you will earn a certificate on the completion of this course. You can also learn about other Online Software Courses offered by registering with them.