Page 357 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics

WAYPOINT W
See METRIC PATH PLANNING.
WELL-STRUCTURED LANGUAGE
A well-structured language is an advanced form of high-level computer
programming language. These languages are used in object-oriented pro-
gramming, such as is used in all personal computers, and also in robot-
controller programming.

Assets
The main asset of a well-structured language is the fact that it can help a
person write efficient, logical programs. Well-structured software can be
changed easily. It often uses modular programming: programs within
programs. Modules are rearranged and/or substituted for various appli-
cations. Well-structured programs lend themselves to easy debugging.
In most high-level languages, a computer program can be written in
many different ways. Some are more efficient than others. The efficiency
of a computer program can be measured in three ways, relative to the
tasks the program is designed to carry out:
• The disk storage space required
• The memory required for the program to run
• The amount of computer time needed to run the program
These factors are closely correlated. An efficient program needs less
storage, less memory, and less time to run than an inefficient one, when
all other factors are held constant. When consumed memory and storage
are minimized, the computer can access the data in minimal time.
Thus it can solve the largest possible number of problems in a given
length of time.

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