Syntax

In the digital world, syntax refers to the set of rules that help you write in a particular programming language. If English grammar teaches you how to write a sentence in a structure, programming rules help you make your code readable for the machine. Some of the familiar ones are Javascript, Python, and C.

Just like human language, different coding languages have different ‘grammar’. Moreover, it helps the code become readable and understandable for the computer. This way, it can prevent any errors when executing the commands. For programmers, a standardised code structure makes it easier to do debugging and maintenance. 

Keywords usage in syntax

Keywords are one of the most important parts of coding language. Before using the words, the programming language has defined their meaning, which you cannot change. What you should know is that you cannot use them as variable names, function names, or identifiers, because they are part of the core of language syntax. The purpose of keywords is that they tell the machine what to do.

If you are using it incorrectly, the command will not work. The interpreter will tell you there’s an error. For example, in Python, the word “def” is already fixed to define functions, not as a variable name. Therefore, if you’re using it for other purposes, it’s going to throw an error.

Symbols and Punctuation

In the programming world, symbols and punctuation are the key components of syntax. They are in non-alphanumeric characters, like ‘()’, ‘=’, ‘;’, and many more. Each of them gives different instructions. You use this inside the compiler or interpreter because it creates structure in code and conveys specific instructions. For example, they can:

• Group code
• Separate instructions
• Define operations
• Manage scope
• Access Data

Formatting and Indentation 

In English, you use paragraphs or indentation to make your writing easier to read. The syntax works the same as in programming languages. They are useful for creating readable, maintainable, and often functioning code. However, good formatting doesn’t affect how the code runs, except in Python. Using this method will aid you in reading, debugging, and collaborating on code. When it comes to formatting, the layout and style are used:

1. Line breaks
2. Indentation
3. Spaces between operators and elements
4. Comment placement
5. Consistent naming convention

Case Sensitivity

In some computer languages, they include case sensitivity in their syntax. Meaning they treat uppercase and lowercase letters differently. For example, “Name”, ”name”, and “NAME” are different for some of them. Using wrong capitalisation can lead to bugs or errors like “variable not defined.” Depending on the language, Python, JavaScript, Java, and C/C++  have this type of behaviour. However, it doesn’t apply to SQL and HTML. Things you have to be aware of are:

• Variables
• Function names
• Class names
• Object property names
• File names

Statement structure

In coding languages’ syntax, it is the smallest executable unit of code. In short, this will tell the computer to perform a task or more. Those groups of code have a value, perform a calculation, control flow, or call a function. The statement itself can be a simple one or compound (block). Simple means it only uses one line to perform one action, and block means a group of statements, treated as one unit. There are several types of statements for coding language syntax, such as:

1. Declaration statements
2. Expression statements
3. Control flow statements
4. Return statement