Automatic programming is the compilation of a computer program from a set of specifications supplied by a user. The ultimate goal of automatic programming is to be able to get a computer to perform some operation only by telling it what needs to be done, not by explicit programming. It is a shortcut method where the specification is an abbreviated explanation of a task that is easier to write than the program itself written in a conventional programming language. The ultimate goal, though possibly unachievable, is to have a method by which a computer can perform high-level tasks without human assistance.

True automatic programming has been the ultimate goal of programmers since the first programmer was confronted by the difficulties of his or her task. The compilers of the 1950s were considered to perform automatic programming at that time. Compared to programming in machine code, compilers...