# Pseudo-code

To facilitate the transition between diagram and code, one important step is to write pseudo-code, i.e. text that looks reasonably like code, but is not.

Pseudo-code is mostly useful when it comes to working on a single function. The overall structure of the project can be done as a flowchart, and then each function can be written as pseudo-code. This is, in fact, a really good exercise to try with your own projects.

Let us try with an example - we want to sort numbers. We will write pseudo-code for a very, very inefficient algorithm:

take a list of numbers X
create an empty list Y

as long as X still has elements in it
find the minimum of X
remove it from X

return Y


This is, essentially, what pseudo-code is: a way to explain in your own words what the function should do. This can be translated line-by-line into code:

Pseudo-codeCode
take a list of numbers Xfunction badsort(X::Vector{T}) where {T <: Number}
create an empty list YY = eltype(X)[]
as long as X still has elements in itwhile length(X) > 0
 find the minimum of X m, i = findmin(X)
 add it to Y push!(Y, m)
 remove it from X deleteat!(X, i)
end
return Yreturn Y
end

The right column is actual code! In practice, we rarely (never!) convert pseudo-code to code literally. But when you are writing your first functions, it may be a good idea.

Pseudo-code is also useful to reason about the structure of the program you are about to start writing. A good example is when do not know which function to use yet, or whether your functions are appropriately sized; if the pseudo-code is getting too long, it is a good sign that you may start thinking about smaller functions.