Absolute Beginner's Guide to Programming, Second Edition

The Rules of Flowcharting

Although every programmer draws flowcharts differently, there are some distinct rules that you should acquaint yourself with before going further. Because these rules are almost universally followed, you should understand them so the flowcharts you write will be readable by others. With each rule, you will see an example that both follows and breaks the rule so you can get an idea of how to use the rule.

Rule #1—Use standard flowcharting symbols. If you stick to the conventional symbols, others can understand your flowchart's meaning, and you can understand theirs.

Rule #2—The flowchart's logic should generally flow from the top of the page to the bottom of the page, and from left to right. If your flowcharts do not ...