Okuzeka
Software Engineering vocabulary · Programming Concepts

If statement

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounCore term

In software engineering, if statement means: A piece of code that runs only when a condition is true, often followed by an else part that runs when the condition is false.

In Turkish: if ifadesi, koşul ifadesi, koşullu deyim

How it is used

Also called a conditional or an if-else statement. In reviews you hear 'nested if statements', 'this if is never true' or 'replace this chain of ifs with a switch'. Very short conditions are sometimes written on one line with a ternary operator.

Example sentences

  1. Add an if statement to skip users who haven't verified their email.

  2. Three nested if statements make this function hard to follow.

Common collocations

  • nested if statements
  • if-else statement
  • add an if statement
  • if condition
  • booleanA data type that has only two possible values, true or false, used for yes-or-no decisions such as whether a user is logged in.
  • loopA piece of code that repeats the same steps several times, for example once for every item in a list or until a condition becomes false.
  • edge caseAn unusual situation at the limits of what a program expects, such as an empty list, a very long name or a date like 29 February.
  • code smellA sign in code that suggests a deeper design problem, such as a very long function, duplicated logic or too many parameters, even if the code works.

More terms: Programming Concepts

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: