Steps to create a Computer Program

A computer program is an elaborate set of instructions that tells a computer how to accomplish a particular task. Programs are written in programming languages, then turned into machine code and sent to the central processing unit.

1. Select the right programming language. Java is popular, especially for Web applications, since it can run on any computer. Lisp is a good programming language for artificial intelligence and has a straightforward, intuitive syntax. C++ is a very versatile language that is heavily used in the programming industry. Look at the links below for information on choosing the right language for you.

2. Get the basic resources you need to get started. You need a code editor to write your programs in, a compiler or interpreter to turn your language into machine code and a debugger to catch errors in your program.

3. Learn some basic programming skills. One of the best ways to do this is by working through free online computer courses such as the MIT computer science course linked to below. MIT offers an entire introductory computer science course in the Lisp language online along with the textbook for the class.

4. Decide on a computer program you want to make. Come up with an idea for a video game, a useful desktop application or some other program to work on. Don’t worry if it is not original; the point is to come up with a relatively simple and straightforward first project you can make on your own.

5. Create a flowchart. A flowchart is a visual depiction of the steps a computer program goes through. It allows you to plan out the structure of your program before diving in to write the actual code. See the link below for a guide on how to flowchart.

6. Write the program out. Type in each instruction inside your code editor, as well as comments explaining what each step does. A comment is a plain language explanation of the meaning and purpose of a step. Although it does not effect the actual running of the program, it makes it easier to go back and debug it later, since it lets the programmer know what is going on at a glance.

7. Run your program through the debugger. The debugger will go through your program, catch any mistakes you made and give you an error message. You can then go back and fix errors in the program before you actually run it.

8. Run the program. If you are using a compiled language such as C, you must first run it through a compiler that turns it into machine code–the language of the computer processor. Then, run the compiled executable program. For an interpreted language such as Lisp, just run the program through an interpreter. This turns the commands into machine code instructions as the program runs.