Statements¶
At its core, a computer program is a sequence of instructions that are executed from top to bottom, one after the other. This sequential nature is essential to understanding how a program operates.
In both everyday language and programming, a statement is something that expresses an action or intent. In programming, a statement is an instruction that tells the computer to perform a specific task.
In C++ (and C#), statements are the most common type of instruction. They are the smallest independent units of execution, much like sentences in a spoken language. Most statements in C++ end with a semicolon (;), which marks the end of the instruction.
In high-level languages such as C++, a single statement can translate into multiple low-level machine instructions after compilation.
Example
There are several kinds of statements in C++:
- Declaration statements: Introduce variables (e.g., int x;)
- Expression statements: Perform calculations or function calls (e.g., x = x + 1;)
- Jump statements: Alter the flow of execution (e.g., return, break, continue)
- Compound statements: Group multiple statements using {} braces
- Selection statements: Make decisions (e.g., if, switch)
- Iteration statements: Create loops (e.g., for, while)
- Exception-handling statements: Manage errors (e.g., try, catch)