IF CONDITION IS SATISFIED THEN YES PATH IS TO BE FOLLOWED OTHERWISE NO ROUTE IS TO BE TAKEN. WRITE THE VALUES CONTAINED IN X & Y ON A TERMINAL/SCREENĪDD THE VALUE CONTAINED IN Y TO THE VALUE CONTAINED IN X AND PLACE THE RESULT IN ZĪN ENTRY IN THE FLOW CHART IS MADE AT THE CONNECTING POINT MARKED 1 TAKE TWO VALUES FROM AN EXTERNAL SOURCE AND ASSIGN THEM TO X & Y ON A TERMINAL/SCREEN Processing A processing symbol is used in a flowchart to represent arithmetic and data movement instructions. Similarly, all output instructions, whether it is output on a printer, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, terminal screen, or any output device, are indicated in the flowchart with an input/output symbol. If there is a program instruction to input data from a disk, tape, card reader, terminal, or any other type of input device, that step will be indicated in the flowchart with an input/output symbol. Input/Output The input/output symbol is used to denote any function of an input/output device in the program. A pause is normally used in the program logic under some error conditions or in case the forms had to be changed in the computer’s line printer during the processing of that program. In addition, if the program logic calls for a pause in the program, that also is indicated with a terminal symbol. It is the first symbol and the last symbol in the program logic. Terminal The terminal symbol, as the name implies, is used to indicate the starting (BEGIN), stopping (END), and pause (HALT) in the program logic flow. These symbols are shown in Figure 3.1 and their functions are discussed below. These symbols have been standardized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Moreover, it is a good practice to have a flowchart along with a computer program as it is very helpful during the testing of the program and also in incorporating any modifications in the program.įlowchart Symbols Only a few symbols are needed to indicate the necessary operations in a flowchart. For a beginner it is strongly recommended that a flowchart be drawn first in order to reduce the number of errors and omissions in the program. Guides him in proceeding from the starting point to the final point while writing a computer program. It acts like a road map for a programmer and A flowchart is basically the plan to be followed when the program is written. This will normally ensure an error-free program. Once the flowchart is ready, the programmer can forget about the logic and can concentrate only on coding the operations in each box of the flowchart in terms of the statements of the programming language. Since a flowchart shows the flow of operations in pictorial form, any error in the logic of the procedure can be detected easily. These boxes are connected by solid lines having arrow marks to indicate the flow of operation, that is, the exact sequence in which the instructions are to be executed. The actual instructions are written within these boxes using clear and concise statements. Flowchart uses boxes of different shapes to denote different types of instructions. Program flowcharts show the sequence of instructions in a single program or subroutine. Important aids available to a programmer are flowcharting and decision tables which help him in constructing programs very fast and very easily.įlowcharts A flowchart is a graphical representation of the sequence of operations in an information system or program. Such aids are studied in the following paragraphs. Programming Aids Programmers use different kinds of tools or aids which help them in developing programs faster and better.