data typea definition of a set of data that specifies the possible range of values

of the set, the operations that can be performed on the values, and the way in
which the values are stored in memory. Defining the data type allows a computer to
manipulate the data appropriately. Data types are most often supported in highlevel languages and often include types such as real, integer, floating point,
character, Boolean, and pointer. How a language handles data typing is one of its
major characteristics.
garbage collectiona process for automatic recovery of heap memory.
heapa portion of memory reserved for a program to use for the temporary
storage of data structures whose existence or size cannot be determined until the
program is running. To build and use such elements, programming languages such
as C and Pascal include functions and procedures for requesting free memory from
the heap, accessing it, and freeing it when it is no longer needed. In contrast to
stack memory, heap memory blocks are not freed in the reverse order in which they
were allocated, so free blocks may be interspersed with blocks that are in use. As
the program continues running, the blocks may have to be moved around so that
small free blocks can be merged together to form larger ones to meet the programs
needs.
memorya device where information can be stored and retrieved. In the most
general sense, the term memory can refer to external storage, such as disk drives
or tape drives; in common usage, it refers only to a computers main memory, the
fast semiconductor storage (random access memory) directly connected to the
processor.
stacka region of reserved memory in which programs store status data such as
procedure and function call addresses, passed parameters, and sometimes local
variables.
algorithma finite sequence of steps for solving a logical or mathematical problem
or performing a task.
Booleanof, pertaining to, or characteristic of logical (true, false) values.
compound statementa single instruction composed of two or more individual
instructions.
conditional statementa programming-language statement that selects an
execution path based on whether some condition is true or false (for example, the
if statement).
expressiona combination of symbolsidentifiers, values, and operatorsthat
yields a result upon evaluation. The resulting value can then be assigned to a
variable, passed as an argument, tested in a control statement, or used in another
expression.

flowcharta graphic map of the path of control or data through the operations in a
program or an information-handling system.
logical operatoran operator that manipulates binary values at the bit level. In
some programming languages, logical operators are identical to Boolean operators,
which manipulate true and false values.
relational operatoran operator that allows the programmer to compare two (or
more) values or expressions. Typical relational operators are greater than (>), equal
to (= =), less than (<), not equal to (!=), greater than or equal to (>=), and less
than or equal to (<=).

iterateto execute one statements or a block of statements repeatedly.

Statements so executed are said to be in a loop.
recursionthe ability of a routine to call itself. Recursion enables certain
algorithms to be implemented with small, simple routines, but it does not guarantee
speed or efficiency. Erroneous use of recursion can cause a program to run out of
stack space during execution, causing the programand sometimes the entire
systemto crash.
exceptiona problem or change in conditions that causes the microprocessor to
stop what it is doing and handle the situation in a separate routine. An exception is
similar to an interrupt; both refer the microprocessor to a separate set of
instructions.
classin object-oriented programming, a generalized category that describes a
group of more specific items, called objects. A class is a descriptive tool used in a
program to define a set of properties or a set of behaviors/methods (actions
available to other parts of the program) that characterize any member (object) of
the class. Program classes are comparable in concept to the categories that people
use to organize information about their world (such as animal, vegetable, and
mineral) that define the types of entities they include and the ways those entities
behave.
constructora method that allows the programmer to set default values, limit
instantiation, and write code that is flexible and easy to read.
methodin object-oriented programming, a process or behavior performed by an
object when it receives a message.
objectin object-oriented programming, a variable comprising both routines and
data that is treated as a discrete entity which is referred to as an instance of the
class.

object-oriented programminga programming paradigm in which a program is

viewed as a collection of discrete objects that are self-contained collections of data
structures and routines that interact with other objects.
propertymembers of a class that provide a flexible mechanism to read, write, or
compute the values of private fields. Properties are viewed or accessed by
accessor methods within the class and are changed or modified by modifier
methods within the class.
abstract classa class from which no objects can be created. An abstract class is
used to define subclasses, and objects are created from the subclasses.
base classa class from which other classes have been or can be derived by
inheritance.
derived classa class created from a base class. A derived class inherits all the
features of its base class. It can include additional data elements and routines,
redefine routines from the base class, and restrict access to base-class features.
inheritancethe transfer of the characteristics of a class to other classes derived
from it. For example, if vegetable is a class, the classes legume and root can
be derived from it, and each will inherit the properties of the vegetable class. The
inherited properties of the vegetable class might include name, growing season,
and water requirements.
interfacecontains only the signatures of methods, delegates, or events. The
implementation of the methods is created in the class that implements the
interface.
basea keyword used to access members of the base class from within a derived
class. newwhen used as a modifier, this keyword explicitly hides a member
inherited from a base class. When you hide an inherited member, the derived
version of the member replaces the base-class version. Although you can hide
members without the use of the new modifier, the result is a warning. If you use new
to hide a member explicitly, it suppresses this warning and documents the fact that
the derived version is intended as a replacement.
overridea modifier required to extend or modify the abstract or virtual
implementation of an inherited method, property, indexer, or event.
polymorphisman object-oriented programming (OOP) feature that allows
methods in a base class to be redefined in derived classes. (a class that inherited its
data structures and methods from another class). In polymorphism, a class can be
used as more than one type; it can be used as its own type, any base types, or any
interface type if it implements interfaces.

sealeda modifier that can be applied to classes, instance methods, and

properties. A sealed class cannot be inherited. A sealed method overrides a
method in a base class but itself cannot be overridden further in any derived class.
When applied to a method or property, the sealed modifier must always be used
with an override.
virtuala keyword used to modify a method or property declaration, in which case
the method or the property is called a virtual member. The virtual member allows its
implementation to be replaced within derived classes.

encapsulationIn object-oriented programming, the packaging of attributes

(properties) and functionality (methods or behaviors) to create an object that is
essentially a black boxone whose internal structure remains private and whose
services can be accessed by other objects only through messages passed via a
clearly defined interface (not to be confused with the interface keyword).
Encapsulation ensures that the object providing service can prevent other objects
from manipulating its data or procedures directly, and it enables the object
requesting service to ignore the details of how that service is provided. Also known
as information hiding.
internalan access modifier for classes and class members. Internal members are
accessible only within files in the same assembly.
privatea member access modifier. Private access is the least permissive access
level. Private members are accessible only within the body of the class in which
they are declared.
protecteda member access modifier. A protected member is accessible from
within the class in which it is declared, and from within any class derived from the
class that declared this member.
publican access modifier for classes and class members. Public access is the
most permissive access level. There are no restrictions on accessing public
members.
application lifecycle management (ALM)a combination of business
management practices and software engineering. ALM phases are Envisioning,
Designing, Developing, Testing, and Maintenance.
testto check program correctness by trying out various sequences and input
values.
UMLacronym for Unified Modeling Language. A language developed by Grady
Booch, Ivar Jacobson, and Jim Rumbaugh of Rational Software that can be used for

specifying, building, and documenting software and non-software systems, such as

business models. UML notation provides a common foundation for object-oriented
design by providing descriptions of modeling concepts, including object class,
associations, interface, and responsibility.
applicationa program designed to assist in the performance of a specific task,
such as word processing, accounting, or inventory management.
componentan individual modular software routine that has been compiled and
dynamically linked and is ready to use with other components or programs.
databasea collection of tables composed of records, each containing fields
together with a set of operations for searching, sorting, recombining, and other
functions.
servicein reference to programming and software, a program or routine that
provides support to other programs.
Web applicationa set of clients and servers that cooperate to provide the
solution to a problem.
arraya list of data values or objects, all of the same type, any element of which
can be referenced by an expression consisting of the array name followed by an
indexing expression. Arrays are part of the fundamentals of data structures, which
in turn are a major fundamental element of computer programming.
data structurean organizational scheme, such as a record or array, that can be
applied to data to facilitate interpreting the data or performing operations on it.
linked lista list of nodes or elements of a data structure connected by pointers. A
singly linked list has one pointer in each node pointing to the next node in the list; a
doubly linked list has two pointers in each node that point to the next and previous
nodes. In a circular list, the first and last nodes of the list are linked.
queuea multielement data structure from which (by strict definition) elements
can be removed only in the same order in which they were inserted; that is, it
follows a first-in-first-out (FIFO) constraint.
sort algorithman algorithm that puts a collection of data elements into a
sequenced order, sometimes based on one or more key values in each element.
stackrepresents a variable-sized last-in-first-out (LIFO) collection of instances of
the same arbitrary type.
cascading style sheets (CSS)an HTML specification developed by the World
Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that allows authors of HTML documents and users to
attach style sheets to HTML documents.

HTMLacronym for HyperText Markup Language, the markup language used for
documents on the World Wide Web. A tag-based notation language used to format
documents that can then be interpreted and rendered by an Internet browser.
JavaScripta scripting language developed by Netscape Communications and Sun
Microsystems that is loosely related to Java. JavaScript, however, is not a true
object-oriented language, and it is limited in performance compared with Java
because it is not compiled.
client-side programa program that is run on a client rather than on a server.
event modelallows the developer to create Web pages using an event-based
model that is similar to this model in client applications. As a simple example, the
designer can add a button to an ASP.NET Web page and then write an event handler
for the button's click event. Although this is common in Web pages that work
exclusively with client script (by handling the button's on-click event in dynamic
HTML), ASP.NET brings this model to server-based processing.
page life cyclewhen an ASP.NET page runs, the page performs a series of
processing steps. These include initialization, instantiating controls, restoring and
maintaining state, running event handler code, and rendering.
server-side programa program that runs on a server rather than on a client.
state managementthe process by which you maintain the page information
over multiple requests for the same or different pages.
Web applicationsoftware on a set of clients and servers that cooperate to
provide the solution to a problem.
HTTPacronym for HyperText Transfer Protocol, the protocol used to carry requests
from a browser to a Web server and to transport pages from Web servers back to
the requesting browser. Although HTTP is almost universally used on the Web, it is
not an especially secure protocol.
ISPacronym for Internet service provider, a business that supplies Internet
connectivity services to individuals, businesses, and other organizations. Some ISPs
are large national or multinational corporations that offer access in many locations,
while others are limited to a single city or region.
World Wide Webthe total set of interlinked hypertext documents residing on
HTTP servers around the world. Documents on the World Wide Web, called pages or
Web pages, are written in Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), identified by
Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) that specify the particular machine and path
name by which a file can be accessed, and transmitted from server to user with
HTTP.

SOAPacronym for Simple Object Access Protocol, a simple, XML-based protocol

for exchanging structured and type information on the Web.
WSDLacronym for Web Services Description Language, an Extensible Markup
Language (XML) format developed to allow for better interoperability among Web
services and development tools.
eventan action or occurrence, often generated by the user, to which a program
might respond. Examples: key presses, button clicks, or mouse movements.
user interfacethe portion of a program with which a user interacts. Types of user
interfaces (UIs) include command-line interfaces, menu-driven interfaces, and
graphical user interfaces.
Windows Formsa rich Windows client library for building Windows client
applications.
serviceA service is an application type that runs in the system background
without a user interface and is similar to a UNIX daemon process. Services provide
core operating system features, such as Web serving, event logging, file serving,
printing, cryptography, and error reporting..
Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)a diagram used to represent entities and
their relationships.
normalizationthe process of evaluating a relation to determine whether it is in a
specified normal form and, if necessary, of converting it to relations in that specified
normal form.
functiona command that returns a single value written in the command set of
Structured Query Language (SQL).
built-in functionreturns a single value calculated from values in a column, such
as COUNT, AVG, SUM, MIN, and MAX.
user-defined functioncompact, user-written SQL code, which can accept
parameters and return either a value or a table.
stored procedurea precompiled group of SQL statements written by users and
saved to the database.
SELECTthe most used SQL command for selecting the data from the database.
DISTINCTreturns only distinct (unique) values.
WHEREspecifies which rows to retrieve.
ORDER BYspecifies an order in which to return the rows.

INSERT INTOinserts a new row into the table given a list of column values.
DELETEremoves a row from a table or it can remove the entire table.
UPDATESETupdates the column values for a particular row in a table or all
column values in the table.
data sourcean ODBC data structure that identifies a database and the Database
Management System (DBMS) that processes it
OLE DBObject Linking and Embedding, Database, sometimes written as OLEDB or
OLE-DB; an application programming interface (API) designed by Microsoft for
accessing different types of data stored in a uniform manner.
ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)a language-neutral object model that exposes data
raised by an underlying OLE DB provider. The most commonly used OLE DB provider
is the OLE DB provider for ODBC drivers, which exposes ODBC data sources to ADO.
ODBCObject Database Connectivity; a standard by which application programs
can access and process Structured Query Language (SQL) databases.