✍U7 - Parameters, Return, & Libraries Vocabulary

Parameter

input variables in a procedure or function definition, used as a placeholder for values that will be passed through the function; Using parameters allows procedures to be generalized, enabling the procedures to be reused with a range of input values or arguments.

Arguments

specify the values of the parameter when a procedure is called

Return

returns a value and is used to return the flow of control to the point where the procedure or function was called

Procedural abstraction

provides a name for a process and allows a procedure to be used only knowing what it does, not how it does it;  improves readability and allows a solution to a large problem to be based on the solutions of smaller subproblems. This is accomplished by creating procedures to solve each of the subproblems.

Modularity

the subdivision of a computer program into separate subprograms

Library

a group of functions or procedures that may be used in creating new programs; the use of libraries simplifies the task of creating complex programs.

API

Application Program Interface - specifications for how functions in a library behave and can be used; Documentation for an API/library is necessary in understanding the behaviors provided by the API/library and how to use them.