procedural or structured language

Procedural programming, also known as structured programming, is a programming paradigm that emphasizes the use of procedures or functions to decompose a program into smaller, more manageable units of code. In procedural programming, the program is structured around procedures or routines, which are collections of instructions that perform a specific task. Here are the key features of procedural programming:

1. Procedures or Functions:

• Description: Procedures or functions are the building blocks of procedural programs. They encapsulate a set of instructions to perform a specific task.
• Features:
  • Procedures break down the program into smaller, more manageable units, making the code easier to understand, maintain, and debug.
  • Functions promote code reuse by allowing the same code to be called from multiple places within the program.

2. Sequential Execution:

• Description: Procedural programs are executed sequentially, with instructions executed one after another in the order they appear in the program.
• Features:
  • The flow of control moves sequentially from one instruction to the next, following the program’s logical structure.
  • Sequential execution simplifies program logic and makes it easier to reason about the program’s behavior.

3. Control Structures:

• Description: Procedural programming languages provide control structures such as loops, conditionals, and branching statements to control the flow of execution within a program.
• Features:
  • Control structures allow programmers to make decisions, iterate over data, and execute code conditionally based on certain criteria.
  • Common control structures include if-else statements, switch statements, while loops, for loops, and do-while loops.

4. Modularity:

• Description: Procedural programming encourages modular design, where the program is divided into smaller modules or units, each responsible for a specific aspect of functionality.
• Features:
  • Modularity promotes code organization and reusability by breaking down the program into smaller, self-contained units.
  • Modules can be developed, tested, and maintained independently, making it easier to manage complex programs.

5. Data Abstraction:

• Description: Procedural programming allows for data abstraction, where the details of data representation and manipulation are hidden behind well-defined interfaces.
• Features:
  • Data abstraction helps manage program complexity by encapsulating data and operations within procedures or functions.
  • By hiding implementation details, data abstraction promotes information hiding and reduces the likelihood of unintended side effects.

6. Emphasis on Procedural Decomposition:

• Description: Procedural programming emphasizes breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable procedural units.
• Features:
  • Procedural decomposition involves analyzing a problem and identifying the procedures needed to solve it.
  • Each procedure focuses on a specific aspect of the problem, promoting code clarity, maintainability, and reusability.

Examples of Procedural Programming Languages:

• C
• Pascal
• Fortran
• ALGOL
• COBOL

Overall, procedural programming emphasizes the use of procedures or functions to organize and structure a program, making it easier to understand, maintain, and modify. While newer programming paradigms such as object-oriented programming and functional programming have gained popularity, procedural programming remains a foundational approach used in many programming languages and applications.