Strings are a series of values or characters that give more information about other characters especially in computer programs. The values and characters have represented some information. Metacharacter is a character in a program that represents certain information. The character itself does not represent the literal meaning. The strings and Metacharacters are usually indicated by use of brackets, quotes, backspace, and indentation. One is therefore able to notice them. The use of these characters usually depends on the programming language being used. When these characters are used, the programmers should avoid using them to mean anything else other than the intended meaning.
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Metacharacters are usually used in programming activities because of the benefits that they give to the programmers. They are used to issue commands. The strings and Metacharacters make work easier in that they reduce texts in the programming work. To issue a command, one does not need to type a long text, a single character is enough to issue a certain command. It saves time for the programmers (SAS Institute. 2011).
The use of Metacharacters is a standard in programming that requires that people do not know who coded the programs. The languages that people use differ in a way. The Metacharacters and strings are complicated and it is difficult to know the person who coded certain software. This is as opposed to literal language.
It is advantageous to use the strings and Metacharacters because less space is used. The information that the strings and Metacharacters represent is voluminous and would require more space. When used, the Metacharacters and strings compress the information into a small space. This is because each string or Metacharacter represents lengthy text that would have occupied more space (Karlgren, 2009).
There are several disadvantages of using strings and Metacharacters in the programming processes. In the first place, different languages use different strings and Metacharacters in programming. A character in a certain language means a different thing in a different programming language. This can create challenges to programmers who are not conversant with certain programming languages.
Use of Metacharacters can be very confusing. When a certain Metacharacters is used, it means that the character can only be used to give a certain hidden meaning. Using this character to give the literal meaning leads to confusion and this should be completely avoided. This creates a lot of difficulties to programmers who wish to use a certain character to give the literal meaning (Karlgren, 2009).
Use of Metacharacters and strings increases the chances of making errors. Many programmers make mistakes due to the fact that they are required to use certain characters that have hidden meaning. Once an error is made, it is difficult to correct it. This means that programmers may spend a lot of time in retracing the error or may be required to start up the program again. This can lead to wastage of time.
It is important to note that some programming languages do not use Metacharacters. This is a disadvantage in that one needs to differentiate the languages that use Metacharacters and those that do not accept the use of strings and Metacharacters. One also needs to know the meaning of each Metacharacters in different languages (Robbins, 2009).
Programming activities lack flexibility when the use of Metacharacters and strings is encouraged. One is forced to use these characters.
Strings and Metacharacters are used in various circumstances. They are used when there is a need for a repeat of the pattern. In the programming activities, some patterns need to be repeated. Instead of having to waste time developing a new pattern again, the Metacharacters are used to repeat the pattern.
Strings and Metacharacters are also used in grouping a sub pattern. Within a certain pattern, there may be a sub pattern. Programmers use strings and Metacharacters to separate the pattern from the sub pattern. The development of patterns that the programmers need is made easy by the availability of strings and Metacharacters, which make the development of the patterns less complex. With the use of Metacharacters, it is possible to search a certain pattern and use it without losing the previous pattern (Robbins, 2009).
In programming, there is a need to refer to a previous pattern so that the next pattern is developed. In this case, the use of Metacharacters becomes of importance.
In conclusion, programming is mainly based on the use of strings and Metacharacters. Use of text language is not common. One has to learn how to use the Metacharacters and strings to be able to programme. The use of these characters has many advantages and this is why it is emphasized. However, many disadvantages are also associated with the use of these characters. It is argued that the use of strings and Metacharacters have more disadvantages than advantages. However, the use of these characters cannot be avoided. There are many circumstances that necessitate their use especially when developing patterns. Therefore, we conclude that use of strings and Metacharacters is of great importance in programming in spite of the disadvantages and challenges they pose (Friedl, 2006).
References
Friedl, J. E. F. (2006). Mastering regular expressions. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly.
Karlgren, J., Tarhio, J., Hyyrö, H., & International Conference on String Processing and Information Retrieval, SPIRE. (2009). String processing and information retrieval: 16th International Symposium, SPIRE 2009 Saariselkä, Finland, August 25-27, 2009 : proceedings. Berlin [etc.: Springer.
Robbins, A., Hannah, E., & Lamb, L. (2009). Learning the vi and Vim Editors. Sebastopol: O'Reilly Media, Inc.
SAS Institute. (2011). SAS 9.2 language reference dictionary. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.
