Structured Programming in BASIC
S. J. Carpenter, Karl Knight · International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology · 1974
The techniques of structured programming are usually described using an ALGOL‐like language, see for example Dijkstra's ‘Notes on Structured Programming’. Many programmers regard the availability of a structured language essential for any practical structured programming. However, within this definition of structured programming, Wirth recognizes that the techniques can exist in much less favourable environments. BASIC is indeed an unfavourable environment for the practitioner of structural programming. The weakness of the subroutine facility conspires with the dominant GOTO. The average BASIC program is a mess. In teaching students and staff to use BASIC in the Computational Physics Teaching Laboratory at the University of Surrey we have tried to encourage a structured approach. The sub‐routine as a building block is strongly emphasized. We have abandoned the old notion of the subroutine as a handy package for an often used section of code. Flow charts are replaced by a mixture of plain English and ALGOL‐like statements as a method of describing programs. An early result of this approach has been to highlight where some very straightforward extensions to BASIC would improve its utility.