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Differences Between Untyped and Dynamically Typed Programming Languages
When learning different programming languages, you may come across terms like untyped and dynamically typed. While they may sound similar but they have different concepts in how programming languages manage data types. In this article, we will see these concepts in simple terms with simple examples.
Untyped Language
Untyped programming languages do not have a strict definition of data types. This allows you to use values without providing the data type. The interpreter or execution environment will handle everything anyway it considers a match.
Example
Let us look at an example that uses an untyped language -
# x is assigned an integer x = 5 print(x) # x is now assigned a string x = "hello" print(x) # x is now a float x = 3.14 print(x)
In the above program, the variable x can be an integer, a string, or a float. The language does not care about what type x originally was.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Here are some advantages and disadvantages listed in the given table -
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
|
You can change the type of a variable at any time with the help of this language. |
As types are not enforced, you can come across unexpected errors at runtime. |
|
There is no need to declare types so the program becomes shorter and easier to write. |
It can be difficult to find what type a variable it should be. |
Dynamically Typed Language
In dynamically typed languages, type checking occurs at runtime or during execution. This means that variables are only checked against types when the program is running. This category includes programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, Lisp, PHP, Ruby, Perl, Lua, and Tcl.
This set of computer languages does not require explicit data type declarations. The language system may recognize a variable's type during runtime.
Example
Let us look at an example that uses a dynamically typed language -
# Here, x is an integer x = 5 print(type(x)) # Now, x is a string x = "hello" print(type(x)) # Now, x is a float x = 3.14 print(type(x))
Output
This will create the below outcome ?
<class 'int'> <class 'str'> <class 'float'>
In the above example, the type() function returns the type of x at every level.
Disadvantages of Dynamically Typed Languages
Types are checked all over execution, which can result in unexpected errors. Dynamic typing can sometimes affect performance as the interpreter needs to verify types at runtime.
Untyped vs Dynamically Typed Languages
The major differences are as follows -
| Statically Typed Languages | Dynamically Typed Languages |
|---|---|
| In this, the type checking is completed at compile time. | In this, the type checking is completed at runtime. |
| Here, explicit type declarations are typically needed. | Here, explicit declarations are not needed. |
| Here, errors can be detected earlier. | Here, the type errors can be detected later at the time of execution. |
| In this variable, assignments are static and it cannot be changed. | In this variable, assignments are dynamic and can be changed. |
| It basically creates more optimised code. | It basically creates less optimised code, and runtime errors are possible. |
The choice of programming language typically depends on the programmer and the program's goal. It is difficult to say which is better because each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
For example, if a programmer wants to develop and execute code faster, dynamically typed languages are a good fit. But it is the programmer's responsibility to use proper type management. If you want stronger code, a statically typed language is a better choice.
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