Software Exam Revision

Chapter 1: Introduction to Programming

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KK3.1.2 — Requirements, constraints and scope

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Solution requirements & Functional requirements

Solution requirements - Describes what the client needs from the solution

Functional requirements - What functions or features the solutions NEEDS to provide to its users  (e.g. accept booking details and calculate a total)

Non functional requirements

Qualities and characteristics the solution should have (e.g. usability, reliability, maintainability) They describe how well the solution should operate rather than a specific function.

KK3.1.3 — Design tools for representing modules

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Data Dictionary

A data dictionary is a design-stage tool that defines the characteristics of variables to assist with software development and future maintenance.
What it lists: Variable names, types, formats and purpose.

Why it helps: Reduces confusion during future maintenance.

Object description

• An object description is a design tool that lists the properties, methods, and events.

  • Properties define its appearance and position (e.g., a button's width, font, or visibility).

  • Methods and Events define what it does and how it responds to the user (e.g., clicking the button).

Mock-Up

An annotated visual representation of an interface or output. It should specify layout, sizes, positions, text, fonts, colours, controls, images and other interface components.

IPO chart

It splits a task into three main parts: what goes in, what happens to it, and what comes out. (Input, Process, Output)

Pseudocode

A detailed, text-based description of a computer program or algorithm that is human-readable and language-independent. It is exclusively written for human readability, meaning it cannot be executed by a computer

KK3.1.4 — Characteristics of data types

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Data Type & Numeric types

A data type is a classification rule that tells a computer how to interpret, store, and perform operations on a specific piece of information.

Numeric types are data classifications used to store numbers, which are split into integers for whole values and floats for decimals.

Text, Boolean data & Operators

Text -  Is a sequence of characters (a string). A character is one meaningful unit such as a letter, digit, punctuation mark, symbol or space.

Boolean data - Has two logical values, True/False.

Operators -  Special symbols, characters, or keywords that instruct the computer to perform specific mathematical equations. 

KK3.1.5 — Data structures: arrays and records

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Data structure

Organises related data so operations can be performed efficiently. It is more complex than a single data type.

One-dimensional array & Two-dimensional array

One-dimensional array - Stores a collection of elements of the same data type in a single row or sequential list

Two-dimensional array - Stores same-type elements in rows and columns and requires two indices. Suitable for grids, seats, game boards and tables.

Record & Arrays

Record - Groups multiple related items of different data types together under a single name 

Arrays

● a LIST of repeated elements, where everything in the list is of the same data type

● Eg. a list of all the ages of people in the class, ‘1,2,3,4’, ‘a,b,c,d’

● Unsorted, contents are identified by numbers (eg. first item in list is 0)

KK3.1.6 — Data sources: TXT, CSV and XML

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Files & TXT file

Files - Provide persistent storage so information can be retrieved after a program ends.

TXT file - Contains readable characters, generally interpreted as character or string data

Delimited file & XML

Delimited file- Plain text file used to store and exchange tabular data (rows and columns) by separating individual data fields.

XML - A simple, text-based format used to store and send data between different computers or programs.

Text files

Are human-readable; binary files are not readily human-readable. Chapter 1 focuses on text-based sources.

KK3.1.9 — Naming conventions for solution elements

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Naming convention

● Help someone reading code to understand purpose of each variable

● Makes updating or finding errors easier and saves time

● Reduces confusion by having a standard naming convention across all programs

● Industry standard can make it easier for new programmers to join a company and reduce learning curve, increasing productivity

CamelCase

Camel case is a software development naming convention where multiple words are joined together without spaces, and each word after the first begins with a capital letter.

Example: camelCase, firstName

Snake_case & Hungarian notation

Snake_case - Separates words with underscores, for example total_order_cost.

Hungarian notation - Uses a prefix to indicate data type, structure or purpose. For example: iNumEmployees, arrEmployees or strEmployee

Internal documentation - Consists of meaningful notes and comments embedded in source code.