First Things Second

Look closer at data sets and data types before focusing on the most important features of programming languages, namely run-time control and loop structures.

Learning objectives

At the end of this unit you should be able to

• tell the difference between data sets, data types and data structures,
• use logical and boolean operators to make decisions,
• use loops for repeated tasks, and
• consider some basic code styling rules in your scripts.

Control structures

Control structures are used to make decisions during runtime, i.e. while the code is executed. Such decisions can be

• if something happens, do something; otherwise, do something else,
• do something n times, or
• do something until something happens.