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Understanding Pseudocode Basics

Pseudocode is an informal, high-level description of a computer program's operating principles, using English statements to outline the program's functionality without being actual code. It serves as a planning tool for documenting program design and is not translatable to machine language. The document also briefly mentions HIPO, a method developed by IBM for planning program logic using a hierarchical structure.

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15 views2 pages

Understanding Pseudocode Basics

Pseudocode is an informal, high-level description of a computer program's operating principles, using English statements to outline the program's functionality without being actual code. It serves as a planning tool for documenting program design and is not translatable to machine language. The document also briefly mentions HIPO, a method developed by IBM for planning program logic using a hierarchical structure.

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mendu7000
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Pseudocode

KENNETH LEROY BUSBEE

Overview

Pseudocode is an informal high-level description of the operating principle of a computer program


1
or other algorithm.

Discussion

Pseudocode is one method of designing or planning a program. Pseudo means false, thus
pseudocode means false code. A better translation would be the word fake or imitation.
Pseudocode is fake (not the real thing). It looks like (imitates) real code but it is NOT real code.
It uses English statements to describe what a program is to accomplish. It is fake because no
compiler exists that will translate the pseudocode to any machine language. Pseudocode is used
for documenting the program or module design (also known as the algorithm).
The following outline of a simple program illustrates pseudocode. We want to be able to enter the
ages of two people and have the computer calculate their average age and display the answer.
Outline using Pseudocode

Input
display a message asking the user to enter the first age
get the first age from the keyboard
display a message asking the user to enter the second age
get the second age from the keyboard

Processing
calculate the answer by adding the two ages together and dividing by two

Output
display the answer on the screen
pause so the user can see the answer

After developing the program design, we use the pseudocode to write code in a language (like C++,
Java, Python, etc.) where you must follow the rules of the language (syntax) in order to code the
logic or algorithm presented in the pseudocode. Pseudocode usually does not include other items
produced during programming design such as identifier lists for variables or test data.
There are other methods for planning and documenting the logic for a program. One method
is HIPO. It stands for Hierarchy plus Input Process Output and was developed by IBM in the 1960s.
It involved using a hierarchy (or structure) chart to show the relationship of the sub-routines (or

1. Wikipedia: Pseudocode

14 | Pseudocode
functions) in a program. Each sub-routine had an IPO piece. Since the above problem/task was
simple, we did not need to use multiple sub-routines, thus we did not produce a hierarchy chart.
We did incorporate the IPO part of the concept for the pseudocode outline.

Key Terms

pseudo
Means false and includes the concepts of fake or imitation.

References

• [Link]: Programming Fundamentals – A Modular Structured Approach using C++

Pseudocode | 15

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