Introduction

Last semester I took algorithms. Oftentimes the professor would provide us with some pseudocode and ask us questions about it or to analyze the efficiency of the algorithm. I like concrete examples, so I'd often want to run the code to get a feel for it. In order to do that I would have to translate my professor's pseudocode into a "real" language, like Python. I got to thinking (like programmers do), "wouldn't it be great if there was a tool that took pseudocode as input and provided real code as output?!"

I researched the idea a little then, but must not have used very good Google search terms because it didn't look like anyone had done it. I was going to change the world!

Then I started talking to another professor whose research specialties include programming languages and compilers. He said my idea sounded like a good project for an independent study. And thus "The Pseudocode Translator Project" was born! This blog will be my journey from knowing essentially nothing about writing a programming language or compiler to, hopefully, having a working pseudocode translator for public consumption.