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Programming

Definition of a Construct

A construct in programming is a fundamental building block provided by a programming language to structure instructions, define behavior, or control the flow of a program.

  • It can be syntactic, like statements, expressions, loops, and conditionals.
  • It can also be structural, like classes, methods, or constructors.
  • Essentially, a construct is any formal element of a language that lets you “construct” a program.

Perfect! What you’ve shared is a classic structured programming explanation of programming constructs. Let me summarize and clarify it, integrating everything and adding context so it’s crystal clear.


Programming Constructs Overview

A programming construct is a fundamental building block of a program that determines how instructions are executed. Essentially, it controls the flow of execution in your program.

There are three main types of programming constructs:


1. Sequence

  • Definition: Lines of code are executed one after another, in the order they appear.
  • Key point: No conditions or loops are involved.
  • Example:
numbers = []
num = int(input("Enter a number: "))
numbers.append(num)
largest_number = numbers[0]
print("The largest number is:", largest_number)
  • Lines 1, 2, 3, and 5 in the example are sequence constructs.

2. Branching (Selection)

  • Definition: The program tests a condition and chooses which block of code to execute based on the outcome.
  • Types of selection constructs:
    1. if…elif…else – Sequentially test conditions.
    2. switch…case – Test an expression against multiple constant values.
  • Example:
if num > largest_number:
    largest_number = num
  • Line 10 in the example is selection because it executes conditionally.

3. Iteration (Loops)

  • Definition: Repeating a line or block of code multiple times.
  • Types of loops:
    1. Count-controlled loops – repeat a fixed number of times (for loop).
    2. Condition-controlled loops – repeat until a condition is met (while or do…while).
  • Examples from your code:
for i in range(5):  # repeat 5 times
    num = int(input("Enter a number: "))
    numbers.append(num)

for num in numbers:  # repeat for each number
    if num > largest_number:
        largest_number = num
  • Lines 3–5 and 9–11 are iteration constructs.

How to Identify Programming Constructs

  • Selection keywords: if, elif, else, switch, casebranching
  • Iteration keywords: for, while, doloops
  • No keywords / simple statementssequence

Example Flow in Your Code

ConstructLines in ExampleDescription
Sequence1, 2, 6, 12Variable declaration, input, initialization, printing results
Iteration3–5, 9–11Asking for numbers and finding the largest number
Selection10–11Checking if a number is larger than the current largest

Summary:

  1. Sequence: Straight-line execution.
  2. Selection: Conditional execution (branching).
  3. Iteration: Repeated execution (loops).

Together, these three constructs allow you to control the entire flow of any program.

Programming Constructs (Hierarchy)

Statement / Expression
    ↓
Control / Flow (Sequence, Selection, Iteration)
    ↓
Function / Method / Procedure
    ↓
Class / Object
    ↓
Module / Package / Namespace
    ↓
Component / Service
    ↓
System / Application
    ↓
Distributed / Enterprise / Cloud
  • Primitive programming
  • Sequential programming
  • Procedural programming

Declarative and Imperative are actually high-level categories of programming paradigms, and most paradigms fit under one of these.
Let’s integrate them into the evolution story:


Two Main Branches

1. Imperative Paradigm (Step-by-step how to do things)

  • You tell the computer exactly how to perform tasks.
  • Examples: Procedural, Structured, Object-Oriented, Event-Driven, Concurrent.
  • Languages: Fortran, C, Java, Python (in imperative style).

2. Declarative Paradigm (Describe what you want, not how to do it)

  • Focuses on the desired result, not the steps.
  • Examples: Functional, Logic, Database query languages, Configuration languages.
  • Languages: SQL, Prolog, HTML, Haskell.

Where They Fit in Evolution

  1. Machine & Assembly (Imperative) – telling the CPU exactly what to do.
  2. Procedural / Structured (Imperative) – more human-friendly but still step-by-step.
  3. Object-Oriented (Imperative) – organizing steps inside “objects”.
  4. Event-Driven (Imperative) – still gives explicit steps, but triggered by events.
  5. Functional (Declarative) – describe relationships and transformations (no side effects).
  6. Logic Programming (Declarative) – describe facts and rules (Prolog).
  7. SQL & DSLs (Declarative) – describe data and desired output.
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