Thinking Through A Program

For a program to compute the desired result it must proceed through a series of logical steps, transforming the inputs into outputs. Figuring out what those logical steps should be is the task of the programmer.

Project 1 For FIT100

Projects are multipart tasks that span a couple of weeks in which a significant computation is developed.

Sign Finder

Sign Finder accepts the day and month of a person’s birth and returns the person’s Zodiac sign

In formulating the logic of the computation, specify the inputs and outputs first

Input: A month and a day

Output: The name of the Zodiac sign

Sign Finder Desiderata

The radio buttons and the text box of the GUI are the means of presenting input

The computation takes place when the OK is clicked

Since clicking a radio button, entering the text box and clicking the OK command button are “events”, the program can be developed by considering what computation is needed in response to each event

Month Radio Button -- set up the data for that month

Day Value Entry -- save the data for later

OK Command Button -- Determine the sign and print it

How is the sign determined from the month and day?

Consider The Signs

Notice that a person born in a given month could have one of two signs, depending on the day of birth

A July birthday

could be either

Cancer or Leo

Every month is

similar: There

are two signs

possible

On The Selection Of A Month ...

When a month is chosen, remember the two signs that apply and the day when they change … when the birth day is chosen it is possible to pick the sign

On The Specification Of The Day ...

The day is simply a number that is typed in

It should be saved in a variable for later use

On Clicking On OK

With the month chosen and the day chosen, it is possible to figure out the sign

If the day is on the midpt or before, it’s the earlier sign

If the day is after the midpt, it’s the later sign

Having Brained Out The Logic ...

The following steps achieve the result

Create the GUI

Declare the four variables

loSign, a string

hiSign, a string

midpt, an integer

dayPick, an integer

Set loSign, hiSign and midpt in radio buttons

Set dayPick to the text input

For the OK click event, incorporate the If-statement and set the visibility of the two labels


	For a program to compute the desired result it must proceed through a series of logical steps, transforming the inputs into outputs. Figuring out what those logical steps should be is the task of the programmer.


	Projects are multipart tasks that span a couple of weeks in which a significant computation is developed.


	Sign Finder accepts the day and month of a person’s birth and returns the person’s Zodiac sign
	In formulating the logic of the computation, specify the inputs and outputs first
		Input: A month and a day
		Output: The name of the Zodiac sign


	The radio buttons and the text box of the GUI are the means of presenting input
	The computation takes place when the OK is clicked
	Since clicking a radio button, entering the text box and clicking the OK command button are “events”, the program can be developed by considering what computation is needed in response to each event
			Month Radio Button -- set up the data for that month
			Day Value Entry -- save the data for later
			OK Command Button -- Determine the sign and print it
	How is the sign determined from the month and day?


	Notice that a person born in a given month could have one of two signs, depending on the day of birth

	A July birthday
	could be either
	Cancer or Leo
	Every month is
	similar: There
	are two signs
	possible


	When a month is chosen, remember the two signs that apply and the day when they change … when the birth day is chosen it is possible to pick the sign


	The day is simply a number that is typed in
	It should be saved in a variable for later use


	With the month chosen and the day chosen, it is possible to figure out the sign
			If the day is on the midpt or before, it’s the earlier sign
			If the day is after the midpt, it’s the later sign


	The following steps achieve the result
	Create the GUI
	Declare the four variables
			loSign, a string
			hiSign, a string
			midpt, an integer
			dayPick, an integer
	Set loSign, hiSign and midpt in radio buttons
	Set dayPick to the text input
	For the OK click event, incorporate the If-statement and set the visibility of the two labels