Common tools and facilities in IDEs questions and answers
Q1. What is an IDE?
A1. An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is a software application that provides a programmer with the tools to write, debug, translate, run and document applications.
Q2. What is a ‘text editor’ in an IDE for?
A2. So that you can write and edit programming code. You type the programming code into the text editor and also make any changes you need to make in this tool.
Q3. What type of errors are the debugging tools and error diagnostics tools in an IDE trying to find?
A3. Syntax errors.
Q4. What is a translator?
A4. Converts High Level Language source code into object code, which the processor can run.
Q5. What is a ‘runtime environment’ in an IDE?
A5. It’s the area in an IDE where a program is actually run and you can see the results of running the program.
Q6. Why do you need to document programs?
A6. Programs may need to be modified in the future, sometimes years into the future and often by someone who wasn’t involved in writing the original code. They would find it very hard to make any changes if there were no notes about what the program does and how it does it.
Q7. What is meant by a bug?
A7. A bug is an error in a program.
Q8. Investigate some IDEs e.g. for Scratch. Does it have all of the features discussed in the notes?
A8. Scratch has all of the main features, although it lacks auto-documentation tools at the moment.
Q9. What is the type of error called in programming where you misspell a keyword e.g. PIRNT instead of PRINT?
A9. This is a syntax error.
Q10. What kinds of error are translator diagnostics in an IDE designed to find? (HINT: See Q9.)
A10. Translator diagnostics look for and report about any syntax errors in your program.