Values & representation
Programs manipulate representations interpreted according to a language, type system, protocol, or data structure.
Values · collections · control flow · functions · abstraction
Programming Fundamentals
Programming turns computational ideas into executable descriptions. The fundamentals are not a particular syntax: they are the recurring concepts used to represent values, organize data, choose control flow, manage state, package reusable behavior, and handle exceptional conditions.
Durable ideas
Syntax changes faster than the programming concepts beneath it.
The examples below use readable mixed pseudocode so the workbench can focus on behavior and state rather than the exact grammar of one language.
State & mutation
Some operations create new values while others update state that later operations can observe. Tracking ownership and lifetime becomes increasingly important as programs grow.
Control & composition
Conditionals, iteration, function calls, events, and exceptions determine how smaller operations compose into larger behavior.
Abstraction
Names, functions, objects, modules, types, and interfaces let programmers reason about a useful contract without carrying every implementation detail at once.
PRIMITIVES
Values, Variables & Types
Programs manipulate values. Variables bind names to values, while type systems describe which values and operations are valid; languages differ in how explicitly and when types are checked.
Illustrative pseudocode
concept trace · not executed
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int health = 100;
string player = "Ready One";
bool is_alive = true;
print(player + " HP: " + health);
Expected output
> Ready One HP: 100