Subroutines
Computer Science: OCR A Level, topic 7.1.4
Subroutines
A subroutine is a named block of code within your program.
Advantages of subroutines
- Easier to read:
- There are fewer long blocks of code to understand.
- More efficient:
- Blocks of code can be written once and reused many times.
- More reliable:
- Each subroutine can be individually tested to make sure it works.
Parameters and arguments
- Parameters are special variables used to pass values into a subroutine.
- Arguments are the actual values that are passed in.
Types of subroutine
- A function is a subroutine which returns a value.
- A procedure is a subroutine which does not return a value.
Test yourself on Subroutines
In the following code, is x a parameter or an argument?
FUNCTION name(x, y)
return x + y
ENDFUNCTIONWhat is an argument of a subroutine?