In computer programming , event-driven programming also known as event-based programming is a programming method in which the flow of the program is determined by sensor outputs or user actions such as ( mouse clicks , key presses ) or by messages from other programs or threads running on the computer . In computer programming , event-driven programming or event-based programming is a programming paradigm in which the flow of the program is determined by events -- i.e. , sensor outputs or user actions ( mouse clicks , key presses ) or messages from other programs or threads .