Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search

Should "if" as a programming statement come under English? Or should it come under the computer language(s) in which it's used? Or should it come under Translingual? If it comes under English should it be a "conjuction" or a "computer language statement"?

The usage section only belongs to the computer stuff but its position now makes it like it's for any usage. Same with the "see also" section.

What do the big dictionaries have to say? — Hippietrail 13:14, 29 Jun 2004 (UTC)

The big dictionaries don't appear to catalog programming statements. I'm not entirely sure we should either, unless we plan on becoming a programming reference as well. (A usage note like "if condition then result" is only a step away from detailed descriptions of for loops.) [slippery-slope argument, I know.] This doesn't mean we can't add programming statements that get used as words—I've heard "xor" used in speech before, for example—but "if" as a programming statement essentially equals the ordinary English use of "if" (as the definition here itself admits). —Muke Tever 14:52, 29 Jun 2004 (UTC)
I'm definitely in favour of including "xor" (it is used in other fields), but I'm quite iffy about "if".
I'm not really sure what makes feel differently between them though.
(The programming languages I've have an operator for "xor" not spelled with letters anyway) — 22:00, 29 Jun 2004 (UTC)
I also think the computing if should be removed. It's simply a keyword. As far as human language goes, it is the same thing as if, and anything further is encyclopaedic commentary on how computer programming works. Equinox 12:02, 26 June 2011 (UTC)