Writing a good Pseudocode is an important skill while writing code, but before we discuss why it is an important skill, let’s briefly discuss the meaning of Pseudocode first.
What is Pseudocode?
Pseudocode can be defined as the technique used to distinguish the various steps of an algorithm, in a way that makes understanding easy, even for someone with basic skills in programming language.
Pseudocode is not only used in programming, but other various fields as well. But in this blog we’ll discuss Pseudocode in programming, like web development, data science as well as app development.
A developer or a data scientist frequently goes through several steps, beginning from generating an idea to putting it into practice. We must create and validate an algorithm, then apply it to the problem at hand and test it against multiple input datasets.
When building or verifying an algorithm, it helps a lot if we can avoid the headache of being constrained by the syntax restrictions of a certain programming language in the early stages of addressing a problem. By doing so, we can focus our attention on the algorithm’s thought process and how it will or not function rather than worrying about how perfect our syntax is.
For example: As a coder you would definitely want your code to run smoothly and efficiently without any errors, so you would prefer doing a dry run before finally executing the code. This technique, or rather step is known as Pseudocode.
There are many companies who prefer asking questions on Pseudocode during interviews, so this concept is also important if we look at it from a career perspective. So be thorough with Pseudocode for not only efficiency but also for cracking technical interviews as well.
What is the use of Pseudocode?
Here are a few major uses of Pseudocode:
Ensures better readability
Pseudocode ensures better readability, and results in an efficient communication even between people from different backgrounds. As we mentioned earlier, Pseudocode is not only used in the programming domain, but also among business partners, mathematicians, and the list is endless because of its functions.
Easy code construction
The process of developing and generating a pseudocode by a programmer results in an easy and faster conversion of the code into a real code that can be written in any programming language.
Start point of a documentation
A good project starts initially with documentation, as it is a vital part of any project. But starting documentation can be difficult, that’s where pseudocode comes in. Pseudocode represents a good starting point for what any documentation must have. The pseudocode is sometimes included as a docstring at the start of the code file.
Error detection
As Pseudocode is written in the form of human-readable format, the edit and discovery of bugs becomes easy, even before executing the code. It is more efficient to edit pseudocode than it is to test, debug, and correct actual code.
A decent compromise from flowchart to code
Pseudocode makes the transition of an idea of a flowchart to a code somewhat smooth, as moving directly from a flowchart to a code can be quite an uneven path.
Summary
Pseudocode can be defined as the technique used to distinguish the various steps of an algorithm, in a way that makes understanding easy, even for someone with basic skills in programming language.
In this blog we talked briefly about what we mean by pseudocode, and it’s major functions in programming. That’s it from our end. Thank you for reading till the end. And if you are looking for a platform to build your coding career, you can check out Pepcoding. Pepcoding provides you with a community- NADOS 2.0, for peer groups, mentors as well as industry experts to collaborate and interact. It is like a social media platform that intends to make learning fun and addictive.
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