What Is A Pseudocode?

Definition

Pseudocode is a simple, stripped-down version of a programming language [→] with relaxed syntax [→] rules used to explain logic, code, or semantics. To make it easy to understand, it usually has much more natural language constructs i.e: English, French words, etc., than the near cryptic constructs used in programming languages.

Use cases and Examples

As mentioned above, pseudocode is used as a tool to walk through what a program needs to do. It can be used to teach or as a tool to think up optimal programming solutions.

Here is an example pseudocode that applies a discount to a purchasePrice

Copy
01: User inputs purchasePrice
02: 
03: if purchasePrice equals or is greater than 40 
04:     finalPrice is 80% of purchasePrice 
05: else 
06:        finalPrice is same as purchasePrice
07: 
08: output finalPrice

Summary

There is no defined syntax for pseudocode. The goal is to convey programming ideas without the overhead of making sure the language is used in its most correct way.

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