OT: Syntax for if/then statement

[Steve Rickaby]

At 11:22 -0600 29/6/06, Tammy.VanBoening at jeppesen.com wrote:

>Our new editor wants to add the word "and" to such statements - if <blah, blah>, AND then <blah, blah>. Both I and the other writer disagree with the editor on this one - it should be just if/then - no "and."

Boy are you going to have fun with your new editor.

If/then and If/then/else or If/then/eiseif/else have been the constructs in any programming language that I can remember working in. 'If/and then' introduces an element of confusion, as if the 'and' clause is a second 'if' condition, as in 'If A happens and then B, then C happens'. In hardware logic, this is the logic of an AND gate, which has the truth table:

A	B	Out

0	0	0
0	1	0
1	0	0
1	1	1

In other words, the output is only high if inputs A and B are high. What you want is the logic of a Yes gate (I just made that up), i.e. a straight piece of wire:

Input	Output

0	0
1	1

I.e. If input high, then output high.

Even more, 'if/and then' introduces a misleading temporal element, as if the result only occurs if the second condition occurred after the first.

What's his/her background? Cleanly not electronics or programming. Or editing, for that matter.

For references, just use the formal definitions of any high-level programming language, plus a good grammar book. If that's not enough, search in the works of any of the major professional communicators (Tufte?)
-- 
Steve