if-then-else

A high-level programming language statement that compares two or more sets of data and tests the results. If the results are true, the THEN instructions are taken; if not, the ELSE instructions are taken. The following is a BASIC example:

   10  IF ANSWER = "Y"  THEN PRINT "Yes"
   20  ELSE PRINT "No"

In certain languages, THEN is implied. All statements between IF and ELSE are carried out if the condition is true. All instructions between ELSE and ENDIF are carried out if not true. The following dBASE example produces the same results as above:

   IF ANSWER = "Y"
       ? "Yes"
     ELSE
       ? "No"
   ENDIF