Heads up! To view this whole video, sign in with your Courses account or enroll in your free 7-day trial. Sign In Enroll
Well done!
You have completed Plan Ahead with Pseudocode!
You have completed Plan Ahead with Pseudocode!
Preview
Get started with pseudocode. Learn some basic conventions for describing a program with input, output, and variables.
Examples
Simple sequence
prompt user for number
set num1 to user_input
prompt user for number
set num2 to user_input
set sum to num1 + num2
print sum
Using a conditional statement
prompt user for number
if input is not a number
print "input is not a number"
prompt user for new number
endif
set num1 to user_input
prompt user for number
if input is not a number
print "input is not a number"
prompt user for new number
endif
set num2 to user_input
set sum to num1 + num2
print sum
Multiple conditions
if input is not a number
print "this is not a number"
else if input is odd
print "the number is odd"
else the input is even
print "the number is even"
endif
Related Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign upRelated Discussions
Have questions about this video? Start a discussion with the community and Treehouse staff.
Sign up
Pseudo code expresses code logic in
procedures using plain verbs and
0:00
nouns from spoken language.
0:04
When you write pseudo code,
you explain each step in the program.
0:05
Think of it kinda like a recipe.
0:09
A program usually has some data,
or ingredients,
0:10
that are acted upon just like you peel,
mix, whisk, eat and bake while cooking.
0:12
A recipe lists the exact order
in which to perform each step.
0:18
If you bake, for
0:21
example, before you mix the batter,
your cake won't turn out right.
0:22
You can write pseudo code on paper with
a pen, or open up a text editor and
0:26
use code comments to describe your
program's logic in pseudo code.
0:30
Let me walk you through an example.
0:34
For any programming project, we usually
start with a set of requirements.
0:36
These requirements,
like a set of instructions,
0:40
tell you how the program should perform.
0:42
They'll often want some input, like
retrieving two numbers from a user and
0:44
some kind of output like the result
of adding those two numbers together.
0:48
You can use those requirements to
guide the design of your program and
0:52
the pseudo code you write.
0:55
In this example,
we'll take a simple specification and
0:57
convert it into programming
steps using pseudo code.
1:00
If you'd like to follow along, open the
work space associated with this video, and
1:03
the file print underscore sum dot txt.
1:07
[SOUND] Get two integer values from a user
and output the sum of those numbers.
1:09
In other words, get two numbers,
add them together and output the results.
1:16
The requirement is simple, but
1:22
a program would need to perform
several steps to complete the task.
1:23
First, you need to prompt
the user to type a number.
1:27
That's one step.
1:30
Then you create a variable
to store the input.
1:32
Prompt for another number, store that
number in a variable named num2.
1:36
Create another variable with
the sum of the two values.
1:42
And finally,
print the value inside the sum variable.
1:46
That's an example of pseudo code.
1:49
It reads easily and
1:51
could be used by a programmer
coding in any programming language.
1:52
This example is simple, but
1:56
you can use pseudo code to
describe any programming concept.
1:58
For example, here's how you could add
a conditional statement to make sure
2:01
the input from the user was a number and
not a letter.
2:04
Here, I've added conditional statements to
check and see if the input is a number.
2:07
Notice that I've added indentation
to show the code that runs
2:10
inside the conditional statement.
2:14
In other words, if that condition is true,
2:16
then the steps that
are indented would happen.
2:18
To mark the end of a conditional
statement add endif.
2:21
This makes clear where the condition ends
and the rest of the program continues.
2:24
You can easily create conditional
statements with multiple conditions too.
2:28
Pseudo code is simple and straightforward.
2:32
You can easily see the logic and
you never get a syntax error.
2:35
In the next video,
I'll show you pseudo code for
2:38
describing other programming
concepts like loops and functions.
2:40
You need to sign up for Treehouse in order to download course files.
Sign upYou need to sign up for Treehouse in order to set up Workspace
Sign up