Delphi in a Nutshell

Name

If Keyword

Syntax

if Condition then Statement
if Condition then Statement else Statement

Description

Delphi’s if statement is the same as the if statement in standard Pascal. The condition must be a Boolean expression. The else part is optional. If you have nested if statements, an else part binds with the nearest if statement. For example:

if X > Y then
  if A > B then
    WriteLn('A > B')
  else
    WriteLn('X > Y and A <= B');

Tips and Tricks

• C programmers are accustomed to using the semicolon as a statement terminator, but in Pascal a semicolon is a statement separator. In particular, no semicolon is allowed after the first statement and before the else keyword. Delphi Pascal loosens some of the restrictions on semicolons, so it is easy for C, C++, and Java programmers to be lulled into the misbelief that semicolons in Delphi can terminate statements.

• By default, Boolean operators in Delphi implement shortcut logic (just like their brethren in C, C++, and Java). See the and and or operators for details.

See Also

And Keyword, Begin Keyword, Boolean Type, Else Keyword, Or Keyword