Machine code

computer language that is directly understandable by a computers CPU

Only language that a computer can understand
The instructions opcodes and operands - are represented by strings of bits 1s and 0s
Assembly Language
Low level language - very similar to those in machine language there is usually a one-toone relationship between the assembly and machine code instructions
Mnemonics
Tools that are designed to help a persons memory.
In assembly language the mnemonics are English-like words used to represent the binary
opcodes of machine language e.g. the mnemonic ADD is used in assembly language for the
opcode 110001011
Assembler
translates the symbolic codes (mnemonics) of programs of an assembly language into
machine language instructions
High level language
closer to human languages and are further removed from machine languages than assembly
language
no one-to-one relationship between the instructions
Assembly Language advantage
requires less memory and execution time.
Allows hardware-specific complex jobs in an easier way
Suitable for time-critical jobs
Most suitable for writing interrupt service routines and other memory resident programs.
High Level language advantage
Faster program development
not necessary to remember the registers of the CPU and mnemonic instructions
Portability of a program from one machine to other. Each assembly language is specific to a
particular type of CPU, but most high-level programming languages are generally portable
across multiple architectures
Compiler
reads the whole high level code and translates it into a complete machine code program
which is output as a new file and can be saved.
Compiler advantage
Translation is done once only and as a separate process. The program that is run is already
translated into machine code so is much faster in execution
Compiler disadvantage
You cannot change the program without going back to the original source code, editing that
and recompiling

Interpreter
Reads the source code one instruction or line at a time, converts this line into machine code
and executes it. The machine code is then discarded and the next line is read.
Interpreter advantage
simple and you can interrupt it while it is running, change the program and either continue or
start again
Interpreter disadvantage
every line has to be translated every time it is executed, even if it is executed many times as
the program runs. And because of this interpreters tend to be slow.
IDE
Software application that provides facilities to computer programmers for software
development.
Typically consists of a source code editor, debugger, complier or interpreter and may have a
graphical interface (GUI).
Source code editor
Text editor designed specifically for the writing and editing of source code for computer
programs
highlighting
Displays source code in different colours and fonts according to the category of terms improves the readability and easier to spot mistakes
Autocomplete
Predicting a word or phrase that the user wants to type
Auto Indent
Automatically indent the next line if it is required when the Return key is pressed
Debugger
Used to test the code and highlight and remove programming errors. When an error is found,
it will show its location in the code.
Stepping
Allows the code to be run and inspected one line at a time.
Breakpoints
intentional stopping of the program at a specified place so that the programmer can inspect
the code
Variable tracing
Can see the values of variables at any stage in the running of the program
Auto documentation
Allows the automatic documentation of all the variables and modules used in a text. useful
when teams of programmers are working on the same project to ensure that they all
understand the coding

Algorithm
step-by-step procedure for solving a problem in a finite number of steps
Logic error
Bug or mistake in a programs source code that results in incorrect or unexpected behaviour.
e.g. Wrong operator used
Array
data structure that contains a group of linked elements which are usually of the same data
type. They allow the storing of multiple pieces of data in one variable
Syntax
Defines how declarations, functions, commands, and other statements should be arranged.
Syntax error
Error in the source code of a program. Not following the syntax (rules) of a programming
language