Syntax course curriculum

If you are interested in learning how to use syntax, introductory courses may start by covering the different levels of complexity in syntax, which includes:

• Lexical elements: This is the most basic level, where characters can have a meaning when in a specific order that forms a token, which is comparable to a word in natural language.^{Footnote 4}

• Context-free syntax: At this level, you can arrange tokens in a meaningful sequence to form a phrase. Think of them the same way you think of sentences.^{Footnote 5}

• Context-sensitive syntax: This level takes a holistic view of things, which determines what objects or variables you can reference and whether the types are valid for the language.^{Footnote 6} For instance, you can’t run a library you haven’t installed.

Though the exact options available vary between languages, tokens are an important concept to grasp early on, and you might encounter different types.^{Footnote 7} These include:

• Keywords: Reserved words, such as parameters or commands, with a predetermined meaning that's important to the interpreter or compiler.

• Operators: Specific mathematical or logical action. The most common ones are basic arithmetic symbols for addition (+), subtraction (-), division (/), and multiplication (*).

• Identifiers: Names the developer assigns to functions, variables, constants, and other items in the source code.

• Literals or constants: Values of any data type that have a fixed value and don't change.

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Explore syntax jobs

Jobs that use programming syntax are those in which you're likely to write code. Examples of these professions include:

• Front-end developers, who translate UI design into code.

• Back-end developers, who work on server-side code for apps and websites.

• Full-stack developers, who work on both front- and back-end development.^{Footnote 8}

• Data scientists, who use code to analyze massive datasets.^{Footnote 9}

Some of these careers also contain more specialized roles. For example, front-end, back-end, and full-stack developers can choose to focus on web, mobile, or desktop platforms with different stacks of technology to choose from.

Each of these roles will have different education and skill requirements. For example, you may be able to build relevant skills in a coding boot camp, where you can build essential programming skills and build a portfolio of projects.