pcodelike

Pcodelike is an adjective used to describe notations, texts, or representations that resemble source code in form and structure but are not intended to be executed. In education and documentation, pcodelike artifacts convey algorithmic reasoning by using familiar programming constructs such as variables, conditionals, and loops while remaining language-agnostic.

The term pcodelike is typically treated as a portmanteau of code and like, emphasizing resemblance to real programming languages rather than execution semantics. It appears frequently in textbooks, lecture notes, and design documents to distinguish descriptive notation from runnable software.

Core features include readability, language-agnostic syntax, and a focus on control flow and data transformation rather than language-specific syntax. Pcodelike material commonly uses standard constructs such as if, while, for, and return, with placeholders for domain constants and values.

It is closely related to pseudocode and to literate programming, serving as a practical teaching tool that bridges conceptual reasoning with concrete implementation.

Example: MaxOfTwo(a, b) if a > b then max := a else max := b end if return max

Because it is not standardized, pcodelike notation can be ambiguous and may require interpretation when translating to real code. Some projects prefer formal pseudocode or aligned comments to a target language.

See also pseudocode, algorithmic notation, and software documentation.