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IF-THEN-ELSE considered harmful

Authors:

Gerald M. Weinberg,

Dennis P. Geller,

Thomas W. S. PlumAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Volume 10, Issue 8

Pages 34 - 44

https://doi.org/10.1145/956028.956032

Published: 01 August 1975 Publication History

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Abstract

Although the if-then-else construct for flow of control is simple in some senses, and certainly superior to unrestricted GO TO logic, the indefinite replication of this structure leads to undesireable program constructs. Other, more extensible control structures may be added to programming languages, while regulating the unrestricted use of if-then-else, in such a way as to reduce the complexity of programs.

References

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Miller, George A., "The Magical Number Seven, Plus-or-minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information", Psychological Review, 63, No. 2, March 1956

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[2]

Wason, P. C. and P. N. Johnson-Laird, Psychology of Reasoning: Structure and Content, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard U. Press, 1972

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Dijkstra, Edsger, "GO TO statement considered harmful", Letter to the Editor, CACM, 11, 3, March 1968

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Weinberg, G. M., M. Goetz, S. Wright, and R. Kaufmann, High Level COBOL Programming, in press

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Plum, Thomas W-S., "Fooling the User of a Programming Language", submitted to 1975 Conference on Reliable Software

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Weinberg, G. M., Dennis P. Geller, and Thomas W-S. Plum, "DO WHILE Considered Harmful", in preparation

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Weinberg, G. M., PL/I Programming: A Manual of Style, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970

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CONN A(2013)A methodology for broadening the scope of computer requirements definition2nd Computers in Aerospace Conference10.2514/6.1979-1936Online publication date: 18-Feb-2013
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Green T(2006)Ifs and thens: Is nesting just for the birds?Software: Practice and Experience10.1002/spe.438010050510:5(373-381)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2006
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Witty R(2006)Dimensional flowchartingSoftware: Practice and Experience10.1002/spe.43800705037:5(553-584)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2006
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Published In

ACM SIGPLAN Notices Volume 10, Issue 8

August 1975

36 pages

ISSN:0362-1340

EISSN:1558-1160

DOI:10.1145/956028

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 01 August 1975

Published in SIGPLAN Volume 10, Issue 8

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CONN A(2013)A methodology for broadening the scope of computer requirements definition2nd Computers in Aerospace Conference10.2514/6.1979-1936Online publication date: 18-Feb-2013
https://doi.org/10.2514/6.1979-1936
Green T(2006)Ifs and thens: Is nesting just for the birds?Software: Practice and Experience10.1002/spe.438010050510:5(373-381)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2006
https://doi.org/10.1002/spe.4380100505
Witty R(2006)Dimensional flowchartingSoftware: Practice and Experience10.1002/spe.43800705037:5(553-584)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2006
https://doi.org/10.1002/spe.4380070503
Carpenter BDohan RHopper K(2006)Non‐recursive recursionSoftware: Practice and Experience10.1002/spe.43800702167:2(263-269)Online publication date: 27-Oct-2006
https://doi.org/10.1002/spe.4380070216
Chen HVecchio R(1992)Nested IF-THEN-ELSE constructs in end-user computingInternational Journal of Man-Machine Studies10.1016/0020-7373(92)90076-W36:6(843-859)Online publication date: 1-Jun-1992
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/0020-7373%2892%2990076-W
Howatt JBaker A(1989)Rigorous definition and analysis of program complexity measures: an example using nestingJournal of Systems and Software10.1016/0164-1212(89)90025-310:2(139-150)Online publication date: 1-Sep-1989
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/0164-1212%2889%2990025-3
Harrison WCook C(1986)Are deeply nested conditionals less readable?Journal of Systems and Software10.1016/0164-1212(86)90003-86:4(335-341)Online publication date: 1-Nov-1986
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/0164-1212%2886%2990003-8
Schulz-Zander R(1986)Auswirkungen von Programmiersprachen auf das Problemlöseverhalten von SchülernInformatik-Grundbildung in Schule und Beruf10.1007/978-3-642-71648-5_52(389-396)Online publication date: 1986
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Vanthienen J(1985)A note on English for decision tables considered harmful and the nested IF-THEN-ELSEACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/988327.98833420:5(45-47)Online publication date: 1-May-1985
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Willmer HWillmer H(1985)LiteraturSystematische Software-Qualitätssicherung anhand von Qualitäts- und Produktmodellen10.1007/978-3-662-10197-1_9(151-160)Online publication date: 1985
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-10197-1_9
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An improvement over deeply nested IF-THEN-ELSE control structures

A note on English for decision tables considered harmful and the nested IF-THEN-ELSE

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