Types of Coding

Procedural Code

Procedural code is a programming paradigm that focuses on defining a sequence of operations for a computer to execute. It emphasizes how a program should accomplish tasks through explicit step-by-step instructions, control flow structures, and state changes. Procedural code typically organizes functionality into procedures or functions that are called in a predetermined order.

Comparison with Declarative and Agentic Code

Aspect	Procedural Code	Declarative Code	Agentic Code
Focus	How to perform tasks (step-by-step instructions)	What should be accomplished (desired outcome)	Goals to achieve (with autonomous execution)
---	---	---	---
Control Flow	Explicitly defined by the programmer	Implicit, determined by the execution environment	Dynamic, determined by the agent based on goals and environment
State Management	Direct manipulation of program state	Minimized state changes, often immutable	Internal state that influences decision-making
Abstraction Level	Lower-level, focused on operations	Higher-level, focused on relationships	High-level, focused on objectives
Examples	Imperative languages like C, traditional Python scripts	SQL, HTML, CSS, functional programming	AI agents, automated planning systems
Decision Making	Predetermined by the programmer	Rules-based evaluation	Autonomous reasoning and adaptation
Adaptability	Requires explicit programming for different scenarios	Adapts within defined constraints	Can discover novel approaches to solve problems

Procedural code explicitly states the sequence of steps to follow, while declarative code describes the desired result without specifying the exact implementation. Agentic code, the newest paradigm, introduces autonomy and goal-oriented behavior, allowing the system to determine appropriate actions based on its understanding of objectives and environmental conditions.