What is Structured Programming? - Definition from Techopedia

Structured Programming

What Does Structured Programming Mean?

Structured programming is a logical programming method that is considered a precursor to object-oriented programming (OOP). Structured programming facilitates program understanding and modification and has a top-down design approach, where a system is divided into compositional subsystems.

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Techopedia Explains Structured Programming

Structured programming is a procedural programming subset that reduces the need for goto statements. In many ways, OOP is considered a type of structured programming that deploys structured programming techniques. Certain languages – like Pascal, Algorithmic Language (ALGOL) and Ada – are designed to enforce structured programming.

The structured programming concept was formalized in 1966 by Corrado Böhm and Giuseppe Jacopini, who demonstrated theoretical computer program design through loops, sequences and decisions. In the late 1960s-early 1970s, Edsger W.Dijkstra developed structural programming functionality as a widely used method, in which a program is divided into multiple sections with multiple exits and one access point.

Modular programming is another example of structural programming, where a program is divided into interactive modules.

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Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.