Structured English is the use of the
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
with the
syntax of
structured programming to communicate the design of a computer program to non-technical users by breaking it down into logical steps using straightforward English words. Structured English gives aims to get the benefits of both the programming logic and natural language: program logic helps to attain precision, whilst natural language helps with the familiarity of the spoken word.
It is the basis of some programming languages such as SQL (Structured Query Language) "for use by people who have need for interaction with a large database but who are not trained programmers".
Elements
'
Advanced English Structure'' is a limited-form "
pseudocode" and consists of the following elements:
#Operation statements written as English phrases executed from the top down
#Conditional blocks indicated by keywords such as IF, THEN, and ELSE
#Repetition blocks indicated by keywords such as DO, WHILE, and UNTIL
The following guidelines are used when writing Structured English:
#All logic should be expressed in operational, conditional, and repetition blocks
#Statements should be clear and unambiguous
#Logical blocks should be indented to show relationship and hierarchy
#Use one line per logical element, or indent the continuation line
#Keywords should be capitalized
#Group blocks of statements together, with a capitalized name that describes their function and end with an EXIT.
#Underline words or phrases defined in a data dictionary '
pronunciation definition and meaning.''
#Mark comment lines with an asterisk
Example of Structured English
APPROVE LOAN
IF customer has a Bank Account THEN
IF Customer has no dues from previous account THEN
Allow loan facility
ELSE
IF Management Approval is obtained THEN
Allow loan facility
ELSE
Reject
ENDIF
ENDIF
ELSE
Reject
ENDIF
EXIT
Criticism
Though useful for planning programs, modules and routines, or describing algorithms it is less useful when numerous decisions need to be made.
The Information Systems: Analysis and Design, Meyzin Leonid, Holon Institute of Technology, retrieved 23 April 2014
Other specification tools
System processes at a lower level involve lot of computations and require more precision and clarity. This can be achieved with tools such as decision trees or decision table
Decision tables are a concise visual representation for specifying which actions to perform depending on given conditions. They are algorithms whose output is a set of actions. The information expressed in decision tables could also be represented ...
s.
See also
*Natural language programming
Natural-language programming (NLP) is an ontology-assisted way of programming in terms of natural-language sentences, e.g. English. A structured document with Content, sections and subsections for explanations of sentences forms a NLP docume ...
*Self-documenting code
In computer programming, self-documenting (or self-describing) source code and user interfaces follow naming conventions and structured programming conventions that enable use of the system without prior specific knowledge. In web development, s ...
* Structured programming
* Pseudocode
* Decision tree
*Decision table
Decision tables are a concise visual representation for specifying which actions to perform depending on given conditions. They are algorithms whose output is a set of actions. The information expressed in decision tables could also be represented ...
**Attempto Controlled English
Attempto Controlled English (ACE) is a controlled natural language, i.e. a subset of standard English with a restricted syntax and restricted semantics described by a small set of construction and interpretation rules. It has been under developmen ...
References
{{Reflist
Algorithm description languages