Archive for September, 2011

Macros, Scripting and Modularity

A high level programming language is more like the English language. It uses words such as, If, Then, Else. This is easy for humans to understand as it resembles English but you could not write a program in  this language . Commands are translated into a low level language for the computer to understand such as binary.

A macro is created by the user actually recording it themselves. This is a huge advantage as, if you have good knowledge of the program, it can be made to do anything you like and can be assigned to key strokes e.g CTRL + SHIFT + T. Scripts are different as they consists of commands that are predefined by the programmer. The user simply selects the order in which to execute these commands and assign them to a keystroke. This is a big advantage as the user does not need an in depth knowledge of the program.

There are two different types of parameters, Actual parameters and Formal parameters.Formal parameters are the parameters that are used in the subroutine definition are formal parameters.  Actual parameters are passed into a subroutine from another part of the program.

2011
09/27
CATEGORY
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Documentation, Evaluation & Maintenance

Documentation:

Documentation is used to help the user learn to use the program and to help them understand it. There are 2 standard types of Documentation and these are the User Guide and the Test Guide. The User Guide explains how to use the software and in the past often came in paper form but nowadays comes more often in an electronic file or online help. The Technical Guide informs the user about information such as how to install the software, the memory and processor requirements of the program, the version of the program and details of any add-ons or other applications that may need to be installed.

 

Evaluaiton:

The Evaluation stage requires the developer and the client to review the software and they do this by checking the software against two questions:

1. Is the program fit for purpose?

2. Does the program meet the software specification?

To answer these 2 questions, the program is evaluated against the following conditions:

  • Robustness => it will not fail or crash no matter what is inputted.
  • Reliability => it will always show the correct output.
  • Portability => it can be run on other operating systems than what it was designed on.
  • Efficiency => it takes up as little RAM and processor space as possible so that other programs may be run at the same time.
  • Maintainability=> it can be changed easily for whatever reason, possibly even by another programmer.

 

Maintenance:

Maintenance is the final stage of the software development process!! This is because it can only be done when the program is finished and it is constantly happening. There are 3 types of Maintenance: Corrective; Adaptive and Perfective. Maintenance can become difficult when there is a software environment change. An example of this could be an update of Operating Systems or a change in Hardware.

 

 

 

 

 

2011
09/20
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Testing

Although Testing is the fourth stage of the Software Development Process, it is carried out throughout the previous three stages as well. This is because the process as a whole is iterative. This is helpful as it is much more cost effective to fix problems at the earlier stages of the process.

 

There are 3 different types of Test Data Sets: Normal Data; Extreme Data and Exceptional Data.

Normal Data: This is data that test to see if the program works as expected. For example, in a simple program where the program decides whether a student passes or fails a test, and the pass mark being 50, normal test data would be 72 and 29. The program should display Pass and Fail respectively.

Extreme Data: This type of data set is used to test the boundary’s of the program. So in the Pass/Fail program, the extreme data could be 49, 50,100,101.

Exceptional Data: This data set tests to see if the program can handle unexpected units. So in the Pass/Fail program data such as abc, 100,000, cat, etc..

 

Phases of Testing:

1. Procedure / Module Testing – This is where the individual parts of the code and modules are tested.

2. Integration Testing – This is where the modules are tested to see if they work together.

3. System Testing – The testing of the overall program.

4. Acceptable Testing – This is when the client tests the program to see if it matches up to what they want.

5. Alpha / Beta Testing – This is when the software is sent out for users to test.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2011
09/12
CATEGORY
Software Development Process
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Debugging with REAL Basic

Firstly to use debugging in REAL Basic you should try to iron out any syntax errors, if any, that your program may have. This is so that the program can begin to run in the first place. Once you have done this, the first port of call would be to create a break point in the code. This easily done by simply clicking the margin o the left of the line of code that you want the code to be broken from. You can then move through the program by stepping through it. This allows you to  view the value that your varibales may be at through each line of code. This is very helpful in making sure that your program does what you want it to and also makes it easy to change.

2011
09/08
CATEGORY
Software Development Process
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