procedural language

procedural language

(language)

Any programming language in which the programmer specifies an explicit sequences of steps to follow to produce a result (an algorithm).

The term should not be confused with "imperative language" - a language that specifies explicit manipulation of state. An example (non-imperative) procedural language is LOGO, which specifies sequences of steps to perform but does not have an internal state.

Other procedural languages include Basic, Pascal, C, and Modula-2.

Both procedural and imperative languages are in contrast to declarative languages, in which the programmer specifies neither explicit steps nor explicit state manipulation.

This article is provided by FOLDOC - Free Online Dictionary of Computing (foldoc.org)

procedural language

A programming language that requires programming discipline, such as C/C++, Java, COBOL, FORTRAN, Perl and JavaScript. Also called an "imperative language," programmers writing in such languages must develop a proper order of actions in order to solve the problem, based on a knowledge of data processing and programming. For a procedural vs. non-procedural language example, see non-procedural language.

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