A well-structured programming language is not a particular class of language, or characterised by a particular type of coding, but rather just refers to languages that encourage the programmers that use them to create programs that are arranged in a logical order, and are easy to read, debug, and update. In other words – languages that encourage coders to follow what is considered good programming practices.
Technipages Explains Well-Structured Programming Language
While a program will work even if it is written using what’s known as spaghetti code – difficult to read, disorganised and messy code – it makes it significantly harder for other programmers to read it later, and even for the initial programmer to still understand what they created. In case the program has any errors, it’s also significantly more difficult to debug and find the source of the problem.
While even the most well-structured programming language can’t force a programmer to do a good job, it can at least encourage them to do so. This can take different approaches – modular languages encourage the use of modules – the code is broken into logical segments called modules that are arranged however the programmer thinks is best. Another approach is that of object-oriented languages like C++, where functions are used, as well as proper syntax in order to make sure the code is well-structured and easy to document.
Proper documentation is not dependant on the programmer and doesn’t affect the functioning of the code, but it does make it easier to work with. Well-structured programming languages make it easy to add and include documentation at varying stages of the development process. All common programming languages like C, Java and Python can be considered well-structured, though they often still feature elements and functions that could be considered unstructured, such as a command to immediately end a loop, regardless of any conditions it may have to end normally.
Common Uses of Well-Structured Programming Language
- A well-structured programming language is one that encourages good practice in the user.
- The use of well-structured programming languages and practices benefits both the creating programmers and any that later work with the code.
- While the usage of modules isn’t always present, modular coding languages are one example of well-structured coding languages.
Common Misuses of Well-Structured Programming Language
- Well-structured coding languages are languages that require the user to document their code.
