glossary page image
anti-aliased line
A line that has extra pixels added to make it look smoother. Lines without anti-aliasing are made up of solid pixels and they can look jagged and unsmooth. To make lines look smoother, anti-aliasing adds extra semi-transparent pixels to the lines at certain points and to the line corners.
argument
A value that is passed to a function. The value of the argument can change how the function runs.
blit
The process of combining two images together by placing one on top of another. The pixels of one image are placed on top of another to create a new image. This is like layering images on top of one another and is used to place images on top of backgrounds.
booleans
A data type in Python that have values of either True or False.
command prompt
A visible prompt that indicates that the computer is ready to receive commands from the user. The Python command prompt looks like this: >>> It allows you to input a Python command to be performed.
command-line interfaces (CLI)
User interfaces that allow interaction only through text-based commands. They do not respond to mouse input.
comparator
Used to compare two values. The equal to comparator compares two values to see if they are the same. The comparison will evaluate to either True or False, depending on whether or not the condition of the comparison is met.
concatenation
When a program combines two or more strings together to make a new string.
coordinates
Numbers that measure your position. They are used so that a number can be given to location. Coordinates are represented by two numbers, your x coordinate and y coordinate.
cross-platform
A cross-platform programming language works on computers with different operating systems. This means you can write a program on one computer, and it will work on most other computers.
data type
Determines the values that can be used for variables and other things such as function arguments. For example, the string data type only allows you to use values that are in speech marks, and the integer data type only allows you to use whole numbers.
elif statement
Works alongside if statements. elif is an abbreviation of “else if”. Like if statements, elif statements have their own condition and their code will only run if their condition is True. An elif statement will also only run if all of the conditions of the if and elif statements above it are False.
else statement
Works alongside an if statement. The body of an if statement will run only if its condition is True. On the other hand, the body of the matching else statement will only run if the condition of the if statement is False.
file editor
Allows you to create, save and modify programs that contain several lines of Python statements. Unlike a Python shell, there is no command prompt so each statement will not automatically run when you press Enter. Instead, the program will run lines of code in sequence—but not until you tell it to.
float
A data type that stores numbers with decimal places. For example, 3.57, 668.1 and 45.5 are all examples of float values.
font
Sets the look of text. A font contains every letter and number and how they should be displayed in your program or document. There are thousands of fonts in the world, and they change the look of text.
for loop
Used to repeat a block of code a number of times. It will repeat for every item in a list, which is often generated using the range() function.
function
A reusable bit of code. It can be reused without needing to rewrite the contents of the function. Instead, you call the function by using its name and any arguments it requires. It is possible to write your own functions.
game loop
A type of while loop that is used to handle animations and user input in games. The reason that a loop is used is so that the program will repeatedly animate the screen and check for input instead of just doing it once.
graphical user interface (GUI)
A program that uses graphics and icons for interaction with the users. GUIs use buttons, text boxes, sliders and a range of other things.
hexadecimal
A numbering system that uses the numbers 0-9 and letters A-F for each digit. The letter A is the equivalent of the number 10, B = 11, C = 12, D = 13, E = 14 and F = 15.
hexadecimal colour code
A colour system that uses hexadecimal numbers to represent colour values. Each primary colour—red, green and blue—is given a hexadecimal number between 00 and FF to state the intensity of that colour in the mix.
hit box
Boxes used in video games when checking if a player, enemy, object or terrain are touching. They are usually rectangular in shape and surround the object representing the edges of where the game object will start to come into contact with other objects.
if statement
Used in programs to decide whether or not to run a section of code. The decision is made based on a condition. Conditions are like questions, for example, “Is the price of the chocolate bar equal to the amount of money given for it?” or “Was the input equal to ‘Yes'?”. If the condition is True, then the code in the body of the if statement will run; otherwise, it will not.
integer
A data type that is used to store whole numbers. For example, 1, 26 and 6546 are all whole numbers as they do not have a decimal place.
Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
Programs designed to help you develop your programs. They let you write, edit and save your programs just like a regular text editor, but also include other features for testing, debugging and running your programs.
keywords
A set of reserved words that have a specific purpose in the programming language. As they are reserved, these words can’t be used as the names of variables, functions or arguments. For example, the if keyword is used to create if statements so you can’t use if as the name of a variable that you create.
module
A set of pre-written functions that you can use with your programs. As modules are pre-written, they save you a lot of time as you don't have to write a lot of code yourself, most of which is often quite complex. Anyone can write modules and they enable your programs to do lots of things, from making games to manipulating images.
modulo operation (%)
Similar to the division operator, but instead of evaluating to the value of one number divided by another, it evaluates to the value of the remainder of the division. For example, 7 % 3 is 1 as 7 / 3 is 2 remainder 1.
monospaced font
A category of font where every letter, number and symbol is exactly the same width. Monospaced fonts are most often used to format code. They are also useful for displaying points and other information as you can predict the width of the text and get a consistent size.
named argument
Used to explicitly state the values that you want to use for a function's argument. This is achieved by using the name of the argument in the function call.
nesting
When one if statement or loop is located inside of another if statement or loop.
operating system
The software that allows your computer to do its basic functions, such as allowing you to use mice and keyboards on the computer, save files and connect to the Internet. Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X are two examples of operating systems.
pixel
A tiny dot on your computer monitor. Everything that is displayed on your monitor is made up of lots of pixels. The colour for each pixel is set by mixing the three primary colours: red, green and blue.
program
A set of instructions that has been written by a programmer to instruct the computer to do something.
programming
Using a set of instructions to tell a computer how to perform a task. These instructions are written in programming language.
programming language
Allows you to give instructions to a computer. With a programming language you can create programs that control what your computer does. There are many different programming languages; Python, Java, Ruby and C++ are just a few of them.
property
Data stored about a widget in Tkinter. For example, the text on a button is stored as a property, as is its size, colour and a whole load of other things.
Python shell
A program that allows you to input one Python statement to be run at a time.
sprite
A collection of images used to represent a character in games. Sprites include all of the images for the animations of a character that will be displayed in a game.
statement
A single instruction of Python code. Statements are usually one line long, though some special statements can be several lines long. Statements are like a sentence in English and contain all the information Python needs to carry out a certain instruction, such as print a string or add two numbers together.
string
A collection of characters—in other words, a piece of text. Strings are used to store letters, symbols and numbers together. They normally are surrounded by speech marks, such as "Hello World".
syntax
The set of rules about structure that a programming language must follow in order to work. Syntax is like the spelling and grammar in spoken and written language.
syntax errors
These happen when you break the syntax rules of a programming language. If you don’t follow the syntax rules, the computer will not understand what you are trying to do because it takes instructions literally and cannot guess what you mean if your syntax isn’t quite right.
tremolo
A sound effect where the volume of the sound increases and decreases in waves. As the music plays the volume of the music will increase and decrease, just as if you were turning the volume up and down really quickly. Tremolos can be used to make things sound spooky or exciting, depending on the speed.
tuple
Like a list, a tuple holds a collection of items which can be stored in a single variable. Unlike a list, the values in a tuple cannot be changed after it has been created. When defining a tuple, all of the items in the tuple are enclosed in regular brackets () with commas to separate them.
type conversion
When one data type is changed into another data type. For example, a string that contains a number could be changed into an integer, or an integer could be changed into a string.
variable
Stores a value so that it can be reused later in a program. All variables have a name and a value. Variable names are used to identify the variable. The value of the variable can be a number, a string, a list of items and a few other things.
while loop
Repeats a block of code. Like an if statement, it has a condition. The loop will only repeat if the condition is True. Every time the loop repeats, it will check if the condition is True or False. The loop will stop repeating if the condition changes to False.
widget
A reusable GUI element in Tkinter. Buttons, sliders, text boxes and lots of other things are all widgets. They are used so that it is quick and easy to make programs.
x coordinate
A number that measures your horizontal position (from left to right). The x coordinate starts at 0 at the left of the window and increases the farther right you move.
y coordinate
A number that measures your vertical position (from top to bottom). The y coordinate starts at 0 at the top of the window and increases the farther down you go.
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