Glossary
- Programming Paradigm
A programming paradigm is a way to describe some of the features of programming languages. Often a paradigm includes principles concerning the use of these features, or embodies a view that these features have special importance and utility in good programming practice.
- Procedural Programming
A programming paradigm that solves problems with programs that can be broken up into collections of variables, data structures and procedures. This paradigm tends to draw a sharp distinction between variables and data structures on the one hand and procedures on the other.
- Functional Programming
A programming paradigm that stresses the central role of functions. Some of its basic principles are:
- Computation consists in the evaluation of functions.
- Functions are first-class citizens in the language.
- Functions should only return values; they should not produce side-effects.
- As much as possible, procedures should be written in terms of function calls.
- Pure Function
A function that does not produce side-effects.
- Side Effect
A change in the state of the program (i.e., a change in the Global Environment) or any interaction external to the program (i.e., printing to the console).
- Higher-Order Function
A function that takes another function as an argument.
- Anonymous Function
A function that does not have a name.
- Refactoring
The act of rewriting computer code so that it performs the same task as before, but in a different way. (This is usually done to make the code more human-readable or to make it perform the task more quickly.)