Technatic | The Pascal programming language is a popular programming language used to develop applications and systems. Created by Niklaus Wirth in 1970, Pascal offers an easy-to-understand syntax and puts forward the concept of structural programming.
Various applications such as operating systems, business applications, and educational applications can be developed using Pascal. In this article, we will discuss the basics of the Pascal language and how to use it in application programming.
What is the Pascal Programming Language ?
As previously mentioned, the Pascal programming language is a programming language created by Niklaus Wirth in 1970. Pascal was developed with the aim of providing a programming language that is easy to understand and makes it easier to understand structural programming concepts.
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The Pascal programming language offers a clear and structured syntax making it easy for beginners to learn. Pascal is considered one of the programming languages that is popularly used in the process of learning algorithms and programming, especially in the field of academic education.
History of the Pascal Programming Language
The Pascal programming language was developed by Niklaus Wirth in 1970, with the aim of teaching basic computer programming concepts to students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. Wirth wanted to create a language that was simple, easy to learn, and could be used for a wide variety of projects. The name Pascal is taken from the name of a French mathematician, Blaise Pascal.
Pascal was originally published in 1971 as a programming language for the P-system operating system, developed by the University of California, Berkeley. P-system uses the Pascal programming language as the main programming language, and provides various tools for developing applications. Pascal is also used to develop other operating systems.
Pascal became popular among academics and professionals because of its simplicity and clear structure. This language is also said to have good qualities in terms of structured programming and efficient application development.
Basic Symbols of the Pascal Programming Language
The Pascal programming language can be built using symbols consisting of letters, numbers and special symbols. These symbols are:
1. Letters
The symbols used in the Pascal programming language consist of various letters, from A to Z, a to z, and also the underscore symbol (_). Uppercase and lowercase letters are considered the same and there is no distinction between the two.
2. Numbers
The symbols in the Pascal programming language used to represent numbers are from 0 to 9. These numbers can be used in the same conditions as numbers used in mathematical languages, including in writing mathematical expressions and storing values in variables.
3. Special Symbols
Special symbols in the Pascal programming language are mathematical and syntactic signs used to provide instructions and logic in writing programs, such as mathematical operators (+, -, *, /, ^), comparison operators (<, >), sign brackets, square brackets, periods, commas, colons, quotation marks, and other symbols.
Features of the Pascal Programming Language
Some of the key features of the Pascal programming language that make it suitable for use as a learning tool and commercial application development include:
1. General Data Types
Pascal has data types that are commonly used in other computer programming languages such as real, integer, character, and boolean. These data types are known as built-in data types in Pascal.
2. Formed Data Type
Pascal provides a feature to create data types that are determined by the programmer himself, called constructed data types. This allows the programmer to create data types that suit the needs of the application to be created.
3. Provides a variety of data structures
Pascal provides a variety of data structures such as files, sets, arrays, and records that enable programmers to store and manage data more efficiently. This is very helpful in solving various types of problems that may be encountered in application development.
4. Data Type Rules Are Quite Strict
Pascal has quite strict data type rules, so programmers must determine the data type of the variables used and must not use them for other data types. Users must also declare variables first before they are used in the program.
5. Supports Structural Programming
Pascal has supported structural programming methods that make it possible to separate program code into smaller, well-organized parts through the use of procedures and functions. This makes program code easier to read, understand, and change as needed.
6. Simple Syntax
Pascal has a simple and expressive syntax, so programs written in this language are easy to understand and decipher. The commands used in this language are in simple English, so they are easy to learn and use.
Pascal Programming Language Data Types
The data types contained in the Pascal language can be divided into two categories, namely simple data types and structured data types. Simple data types are used to create programs and consist of data types such as integer, real, and boolean. Structured data types consist of arrays, records, sets, and files. Here's the explanation:
1. Simple Data Types
Types of simple data types in the Pascal programming language include:
- Integer: data type used to store whole numbers (numbers without commas).
- Real: data type used to store real numbers (numbers with commas).
- Boolean: data type used to store true or false values.
- Char: data type used to store characters (letters or symbols).
- Enumerated: data type used to store a collection of user-defined constants.
2. Structured Data Types
Types of structured data types in the Pascal programming language include:
- Array: used to store several values that have the same data type and are accessed using an index.
- Record: used to store several values that may have different data types and are accessed using a field name.
- Set: used to store a collection of elements in the form of integers or characters.
- Files: used to store and access data stored outside the program being run.
- String: an array data type used to store text.
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