AP CSP Definitions

code segment

a single line or a collection of lines of code that are part of a program

collaboration

people working together to produce a quality product

comments

used to document a program and to document complicated sections of code. It is ignored by the computer and are for people only

debugging

finding and correcting errors in a program

event driven programming

when a program operates in a wait state and an action such as pressing a button, provides input and triggers a section of code to run

incremental development process

subdivides a program into small modules that will be coded, tested, and approved and then added to the larger application and tested with other completed parts of it

iterative development process

repeats the steps of coding, testing, and feedback to refine a section of code until it is complete

logic error

occurs when the code runs but produces incorrect results

overflow error

occurs in computers when an integer is larger than the programming language can hold

program

a collection of code to perform a specific task

program behavior

how a program performs when it is running and how users interact with the program

program documentation

describes a programs purpose and how it achieves it. It often includes details such as functions, usage examples, and instructions for installation and troubleshooting and can also include a user’s manual on how to use the program and help text to solve errors that occur

program input

data sent to a program that can be in a variety of formats depending on what the program will accept

program output

data produced by the program and sent by the program to a device such as a screen or printer or file

prototype

a draft or incomplete version used to obtain feedback from users and team members before allocating resources such as time and money to create the final version

requirments

specifications for the program to meet once it’s complete

runtime error

do not cause an error at compile time but occur when the program is executing. A common example is not being able to divide by zero

syntax error

breaks the rules of the programming language and deals with punctuation, missing parentheses, and typos

testing

executing a program to ensure it produces correct output that meets the programs requirements

user interface

includes all the ways a user would interact with a program, including providing input and viewing output