As an expert in software development, I have seen the evolution of programming principles over the years. One concept that has stood the test of time is modular programming. This approach, which involves breaking down larger software programs into smaller parts, originated in the 1960s and is still highly relevant today. In fact, it is one of the key principles followed and used in Tiny, a popular programming language. Modular programming was developed in the late 1960s and 1970s as a larger-scale version of structured programming.
This approach aims to make software development more manageable by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable modules. However, as with any programming technique, there are certain challenges that developers may face when implementing modular programming. One potential complication is breaking down code into too many small functions or passing data and functions between too many files. To address this issue, developers can create conventions for file names and locations to make it easier to search for specific code. This also makes it easier for large teams to work on a project since each member does not need to understand the entire system. When it comes to module types, developers can establish rules and guidelines for defining and organizing different aspects of the program.
This includes how each part is defined and located in files, folders, and libraries. Examples of modular programming languages include C++ and Java, both of which are object-oriented languages that originated around the 1960s. Modular programming is closely related to structured programming and object-oriented programming, as they all share the same goal of simplifying the construction of large programs and software systems by breaking them down into smaller parts. One major advantage of modular programming is that it makes code easier to read by separating it into functions that each handle a specific aspect of the overall functionality. One of the main reasons why modular programming is essential is that it allows multiple teams to work on different components of a program without having to copy and paste code. Instead, developers can extract the necessary code from a single source by calling it from the appropriate module or library.
This also means that each library has a defined API layer, which protects the code that uses it from any changes made within the library. Although modular programming is not a new concept, it remains highly popular and widely used. As such, it is crucial for developers to understand what it is and why it is useful. This approach has become so widespread that it can now be found in virtually every major programming language developed since the 1990s.
