PLTW App Creators - Unit 1 Terms -Study Guide

Where the programmer adds and tests code in small chunks at a time to make sure it behaves the way they want it to, before adding more code.

Incremental approach

A simulator that imitates a program or events.

Emulator

A set of instructions that a computer executes to achieve a particular objective.

Program

A diagram that represents an algorithm, work flow, or process.

Flowchart

A representative consumer for whom a hardware or software product is designed.

End user

The type of information stored in a variable. Common data types are Number, String, and Boolean.

Date type

The visual part of a computer app or operating system, through which an end user interacts with the computing device or software.

User-interface

The layer of an app that the user sees and interacts with.

View layer

The layer of an app that contains the program that tells the app how to behave.

Control layer

An action or occurrence that happens during runtime that will trigger a response or behavior by the software.

Event

A type of software application designed to run a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer.

Mobile Application (or app)

The period when a program is running.

Runtime

The writing of compound words (like variable names, procedure names, and file names) by starting each word with a capital letter.

Camelcase

A block of code that is triggered when a certain event happens.

Event handler

An ordered set of instructions that are used to carry out a task.

Algorithm

The process of reducing complexity by hiding unnecessary details to make it easier to think about a problem.

Abstraction

A keyword used when declaring a variable. Makes the variable available to the blocks in the program.

Global

Type of computer programming where the program responds to an input (or trigger).

Event-Driven Programming

A variable that is only accessible inside a block of code or a procedure.

Local variable

A command that performs different actions depending on whether a condition is true or false.

Conditional statement

Programmers use lowercase for the first letter of the variable name, unlike component names, which start with an uppercase letter.

Naming Variables

In a program, an event that is triggered by user interaction with the user interface.

User-Initiated Event

A form of mathematics in which an expression is reduced to either True or False.

Boolean logic

A flaw in a computer program that causes the program to produce an incorrect result or behavior.

Bug

A line code that assigns a value to a variable

Assignment statement

To identify bugs or errors in computer hardware or programs and fix them.

Debugging

A type of data in computing that represents alphanumeric characters.Includes any character that you can type on a computer: like letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation.

Text/String

Two people working together to create a computer program.

Pair programming

The person who writes the code in a computer program when two programmers are working together.

Driver

The programmers are using it to determine how the App should work and how it should look like.

Design Requirements

The person who observes or reviews each line of code in a computer program as it is typed when two programmers are working together.

Navigator

A form of mathematics in which an expression is reduced to either True or False.

Boolean data type

A placeholder in a device's memory that stores a value a program is using.

Variable

The process of recording the value of a variable as it changes throughout an algorithm.

Track a variable

A programming environment where updates to a program during development automatically appear on the connected testing device.

Live Programming

To assign a variable its initial, or first, value.

Initialize

This block is used to assign new values to a component,different from the one's that you assigned at the beginning in the property pane.

Setter

A chart used by programmers to keep track of the values of variables in their program.

Trace table

A two-dimensional touch-sensitive rectangular panel on which drawing can be done and sprites can be moved

Canvas

A systematic, problem-solving strategy that designers follow to come up with a solution to a problem.

Design process

To decrease the value of a numeric variable by a set amount.

Decrement

The process of solving problems using a series of steps.

Algorithm thinking

Graphical object that are interactive within a canvas

Sprites

The properties of an Image Sprite that work together to determine how fast a sprite moves.

Speed and Interval

The layer of an app that contains the data entered and used in the app.

Model layer

The process of following the flow of an algorithm step-by-step to make sure it works correctly.

Trace an algorithm

The broadest/outer most box that holds drawers.

Palette

The pieces you connect together to tell your app what to do. They can be found in the Blocks Editor.

Block

A system made up of vertical and horizontal lines and points that are identified by the combination of their x-coordinate(distance from the y-axis) and y-coordinate(distance from the x-axis)

Grid

The pieces of your app that do actions for you. Examples are Label, Sound, or Button.

Component

For components, things that can be changed or initialized on the Designer screen.

Properties

Where you can create the user interface and add common features you want in the app. This is where you let the program know what components you will later want to code

Designer View

This block is used to return the same value that you assigned for a component in the property pane.

Getter

The screen found by clicking the Blocks button on the design screen. This is where you tell your app what to do.

Blocks Editor/View

What most apps follow with step by step instructions.

Linear Sequence

A program that translates instructions or code into a language that can be read and understood by a computer.

Compiler

An incorrect result produced by a computer program.

Error

To create a variable in a program

and give it a name

Declare

Issues in a program's code.

Compilation Error

To increase the value of a numeric variable by a set amount

Increment

A series of storage spaces where app components are organized on the left side of your App Inventor.

Drawers

To identify bugs or errors in computer hardware or programs and fix them.

Debugging

This command does not affect the code during runtime. In other words, the code inside the event handler is still active and will run normally.

Collapse Command

Using this command,even though the code it is in the program, it will not execute it when you run the app.

Disable Command

This command helps you test your code one block at a time. It is a great way to help you test your code incrementally.

Do it Command

Programmers are using this command to their code to allow others to read and understand their code.

Add Comment

Any one of the small dots that together form the picture on a digital screen.

Pixel

Components that they're not part of the user interface. Instead, they provide access to the built-in functionality of the device; for

example, the Texting component sends and processes SMS texts

Non Visible Components

Using this command your blocks are shared among all your projects in App Inventor.

Backpack

Screen1

The first screen in any App Inventor project must be called ___?

Width- fill parent

To get a HorizontalArrangement to fill the width of the screen, which Property should be set?

Text blocks

What kind of block is pink and you can type inside it ? *

Blocks

The pieces you connect together to tell your app what to do. They can be found in the Blocks Editor.

Design Sketch

This is a paper sketch that shows what the app would look like when we will create it in Mit App.

Mutator block

A block which can be expanded or shrunk and is adding more actions for that event handler.

Upload

A word that describes the process we use to add media to our applications..

Align horizontal-center to 3

What property you have to select in order for your components to appear in the center of your Screen?

Expand command

Using this command You can right-click on the block and open back up again all lines of code .

Enable command

Using this command your blocks are not highlighted in gray anymore and the event handler is functioning.

Text/String data type

A type of data in computing that represents alphanumeric characters.Includes any character that you can type on a computer: like letters, numbers, symbols, and punctuation.