{"id":3359,"date":"2019-06-25T13:02:46","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T20:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/?p=3359"},"modified":"2021-01-04T06:28:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-04T14:28:59","slug":"what-is-recursive-programming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Recursive Programming, and How Do You Use It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you have any interest in the programming arts and all of the fun and wizardry that goes on to create our modern, computer-based world, you\u2019ve heard the term \u201crecursion\u201d or \u201crecursive programming. Using recursion in our coding allows us to save heaps of time and energy when writing programs, and any coder worth their salt has the recursion game down pat and benefits from its use at all times. But, what is recursive programming, and how can we use it to streamline our applications and resolve complex tasks? Fear not\u2014you\u2019ve come to the right place to get those questions answered.
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In our guide, we look at recursion and how we employ it in today\u2019s computing environment. We go over the concept behind recursion, and break down how using recursive programming cuts any task down to size, no matter how large it might appear at first. Finally, we look at recursive programming in action and see how it reduces formerly complex and lengthy code to a manageable size. By the time you finish this article, you\u2019ll have a better understanding of recursive programming and will give it its proper due as a cornerstone of modern software development.
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So, What is Recursive Programming?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The basic concept behind recursion is the notion that any task can be resolved, no matter how complex, by reducing the larger problem down to a series of recurring, solvable issues. Breaking down your job into a bunch individual mini-tasks allows you to look at each one of the subtasks as a task in its own right. This task can then be broken down into sub-tasks (which are in fact sub-sub-tasks of the main one). After you\u2019ve deconstructed a job down to its smallest component tasks, you can apply recursion.
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Because you\u2019re now working with basic tasks, you can now set conditions each task needs to meet before the larger program can close it out and move on. If, for example, the requirements to be met are to fill a jar with jelly beans, the task might be to add a single jelly bean to the jar. After you\u2019ve worked out the code to accomplish this single task, you\u2019ll be able to apply the conditions so that the job repeats until the jar is full. The repetition of code until conditions are met is what recursion is all about. Best of all, once you\u2019ve worked through the task and requirements the first time, you\u2019ll be able to apply that same solution every time you encounter a similar job in your code.
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\"\"
Mastering recursion will make you feel like a champion!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Recursion in Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By this point, you\u2019re probably getting the general gist of what recursive programming entails. To get our heads around the concept, we need to look at some code. Concrete examples always work best to drive home complex concepts, I always say, even when people haven\u2019t asked. (It can get a bit awkward.) Let\u2019s examine a common situation in which recursive programming can save you hours or even days of trudging through lines of identical code.
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For our example, we\u2019ll set a goal of finding 3 (factorial). We can write out the code so that it adds everything together one step at a time, but if we were looking for a larger or more complex result, such as 1,429,033 or something equally intimidating, we\u2019d get overwhelmed with identical code. Instead, we use recursion. We write a single line that creates a loop until the condition is met. Just like that, thousands of lines of code can become a single line.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s the scoop on recursive programming. If you\u2019re starting on a programming career and are still learning the ropes, you\u2019ll find recursive programming to be a godsend. Properly used, recursive programming will simplify your code and put you in the driver\u2019s seat in your coding career!
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your opinion of recursive programming? Let us know your thoughts in our comments section below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you have any interest in the programming arts and all of the fun and wizardry that goes on to create our modern, computer-based world, you\u2019ve heard the term \u201crecursion\u201d or \u201crecursive programming. Using recursion in our coding allows us to save heaps of time and energy when writing programs, and any coder worth their…","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":14456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18070],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3359","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-software-engineering-skills"},"acf":{"post_sub_title":"","sprint_id":"","query_class":"What is a {technical term}","school_sft":"","parent_sft":"","school_privacy_policy":"","has_review":null,"is_sponser_post":"","is_guest_post":""},"yoast_head":"\nWhat is Recursive Programming, and How Do You Use It? | Career Karma<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out what recursive programming is and what it can do to supercharge your code with our handy guide!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is Recursive Programming, and How Do You Use It?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Find out what recursive programming is and what it can do to supercharge your code with our handy guide!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Career Karma\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/careerkarmaapp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-06-25T20:02:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-04T14:28:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blur-close-up-code-computer-546819.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"797\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Paul Larkin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@career_karma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@career_karma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Paul Larkin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Paul Larkin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1761df0013e0bbfeb16c0d4078e4685d\"},\"headline\":\"What is Recursive Programming, and How Do You Use It?\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-06-25T20:02:46+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-04T14:28:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/\"},\"wordCount\":686,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/blur-close-up-code-computer-546819.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Software Engineering\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/what-is-recursive-programming\/\",\"name\":\"What is Recursive Programming, and How Do You Use It? 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