What is a Flowchart?

START

Display message “How

• A flowchart is a diagram that depicts

many hours did you
work?”

the “flow” of a program.

• The figure shown here is a flowchart
Read Hours

for the pay-calculating program. Display message “How

much do you get paid per
hour?”

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours by Pay

Rate. Store result in
Gross Pay.

Display Gross Pay

END
 Rounded
Basic Flowchart Symbols START

Display
Rectangle

message “How
many hours did
you work?”

• Notice there are three types of Read Hours

symbols in this flowchart: Display

• rounded rectangles message “How

much do you Parallelogra
get paid per m
• parallelograms hour?”

• a rectangle Read Pay Rate

• Each symbol represents a Multiply

Hours by Pay
different type of operation. Rectangle Rate. Store
result in
Gross Pay.

Display Gross
Rounded Pay
Rectangle
END
 Basic Flowchart Symbols START Terminal

(Contd.) Display
message “How
many hours did
you work?”

• Terminals Read Hours

• represented by rounded Display message “How

rectangles much do you get paid per
hour?”
• indicate a starting or ending
point
Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours
START by Pay Rate.
Store result in
Gross Pay.

Display Gross
Pay
END Terminal
END
 Basic Flowchart Symbols START

(Contd.) Display
message “How
many hours did
you work?”

• Input/output Operations Read Hours

• represented by parallelograms Display message

• indicate an input or output “How much do you
get paid per
Input/Output

operation hour?” Operation

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours by
Pay Rate. Store
Display result in Gross
Pay.
message “How
Read Hours
many hours Display Gross
Pay
did you work?”
END
 Basic Flowchart Symbols START

(Contd.) Display
message “How
many hours did
you work?”

• Processes Read Hours

• represented by rectangles Display message

• indicates a process such as a “How much do
you get paid per
mathematical computation or hour?”

variable assignment
Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours
by Pay Rate.
Process Store result in
Multiply Hours Gross Pay.
by Pay Rate.
Store result in Display Gross
Pay
Gross Pay.
END
Stepping Through the
Stepping Through START
Output

theFlowchart
Display Operation
Flowchart message “How
many hours did
you work?”

Read Hours
How many
hours did
you work? Display message
“How much do
you get paid per
hour?”

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours
by Pay Rate.
Store result in
Gross Pay.

Display Gross
Variable Contents: Pay
Hours: ?
Pay Rate: ? END
Gross Pay: ?
Stepping Through the START

Flowchart (Contd.) Display

message “How
many hours did
you work?”

How many
Input Read Hours
hours did Operation
you work?
(User types Display
40
40) message “How
much do you
get paid per
hour?”

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours
by Pay Rate.
Store result in
Variable Contents: Gross Pay.
Hours: 40
Pay Rate: ? Display Gross
Gross Pay: ? Pay

END
Stepping Through the
Stepping
FlowchartThrough
(Contd.)
START

Display

the Flowchart message “How

many hours did
you work?”

Read Hours
How much
do you get
paid per
Display
hour?
message “How
Output much do you
Operation get paid per
hour?”

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours by
Pay Rate. Store
Variable Contents: result in Gross
Pay.
Hours: 40
Pay Rate: ? Display Gross
Gross Pay: ? Pay

END
 Stepping Through the
Stepping Through
Flowchart (Contd.)
START

Display

the Flowchart message “How

many hours did
you work?”

Read Hours
How much
do you get
paid per
Display
hour? 20
message “How
much do you
get paid per
hour?”

Input Read Pay Rate

Operation
(User types Multiply Hours by
20) Pay Rate. Store
Variable Contents: result in Gross
Pay.
Hours: 40
Pay Rate: 20 Display Gross
Gross Pay: ? Pay

END
Stepping Through the START

Flowchart (Contd.) Display

message “How
many hours did
you work?”

Read Hours
How much
do you get
paid per
Display message
hour?
“How much do
you get paid per
hour?”

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours
Process: The by Pay Rate.
Store result in
Variable Contents: product of 40
Gross Pay.
Hours: 40 times 20 is
stored in
Pay Rate: 20 Gross Pay Display Gross
Gross Pay: 800 Pay

END
Stepping Through the START

Flowchart (Contd.) Display

message “How
many hours did
you work?”

Read Hours
Your gross
pay is 800
Display message
“How much do
you get paid per
hour?”

Read Pay Rate

Multiply Hours
by Pay Rate.
Store result in
Variable Contents: Gross Pay.
Hours: 40
Pay Rate: 20 Output Display Gross
Gross Pay: 800 Operation Pay

END
 Four Flowchart Structures
• Sequence
• Decision
• Repetition
• Case
 Sequence Structure
• a series of actions are performed in sequence
• The pay-calculating example was a sequence flowchart.
 Decision Structure
• One of two possible actions is taken, depending on a condition.
 Decision Structure (Contd.)
• A new symbol, the diamond, indicates a yes/no question. If the answer to
the question is yes, the flow follows one path. If the answer is no, the flow
follows another path

NO YES
 Decision Structure (Contd.)
• In the flowchart segment below, the question “is x < y?” is asked.
• If the answer is no, then process A is performed.
• If the answer is yes, then process B is performed.

NO YES
x < y?

Process Process
A B
 Decision Structure (Contd.)
• The flowchart segment below shows how a decision structure is expressed
in C++ as an if/else statement.

Flowchart C++ Code

NO YES if (x < y)
x < y? a = x * 2;
else
Calculate a Calculate a a = x + y;
as x plus y. as x times 2.
 Decision Structure (Contd.)
• The flowchart segment below shows a decision structure with only one
action to perform. It is expressed as an if statement in C++ code.

Flowchart C++ Code

NO YES if (x < y)
x < y? a = x * 2;

Calculate a
as x times 2.
 Repetition Structure
• A repetition structure represents part of the program that repeats.
• This type of structure is commonly known as a loop.
 Repetition Structure (Contd.)
• Notice the use of the diamond symbol.
• A loop tests a condition, and if the condition exists, it performs an action.
Then it tests the condition again.
• If the condition still exists, the action is repeated. This continues until the
condition no longer exists.
 Repetition Structure (Contd.)
• In the flowchart segment, the question “is x < y?” is asked.
• If the answer is yes, then Process A is performed.
• The question “is x < y?” is asked again.
• Process A is repeated as long as x is less than y.
• When x is no longer less than y, the repetition stops and the structure is
exited.

YES
x < y? Process A
 Repetition Structure (Contd.)
• The flowchart segment below shows a repetition structure
expressed in C++ as a while loop.

Flowchart C++ Code

while (x < y)

YES x++;
x < y? Add 1 to x
 Controlling a Repetition Structure
• The action performed by a repetition structure must eventually cause the
loop to terminate. Otherwise, an infinite loop is created.
• In this flowchart segment, x is never changed. Once the loop starts, it will
never end.
• QUESTION: How can this
flowchart be modified so
it is no longer an infinite YES
loop? x < y? Display x
 Controlling a Repetition Structure (Contd.)
• ANSWER: By adding an action within the repetition that changes the value
of x.

YES
x < y? Display x Add 1 to x
 A Pre-Test Repetition Structure
• This type of structure is known as a pre-test repetition structure. The
condition is tested BEFORE any actions are performed.

YES
x < y? Display x Add 1 to x
 A Pre-Test Repetition Structure
• In a pre-test repetition structure, if the condition does not exist, the loop
will never begin.

YES
x < y? Display x Add 1 to x
 A Post-Test Repetition Structure
• This flowchart segment shows a post-test
repetition structure.
• The condition is tested AFTER the actions Display x
are performed.
• A post-test repetition structure always
performs its actions at least once. Add 1 to
x

YES
x < y?
 A Post-Test Repetition Structure (Contd.)
• The flowchart segment below shows a post-test repetition structure
expressed in C++ as a do-while loop.

C++ Code
Display x
do
{
Flowchart cout << x << endl;
Add 1 to x++;
x } while (x < y);

YES
x < y?
 Case Structure

• One of several possible actions is taken,

depending on the contents of a variable.
 Case Structure (Contd.)
• The structure below indicates actions to perform depending on
the value in years_employed.

CASE
years_employed

1 2 3 Other

bonus = bonus = bonus = bonus =

100 200 400 800
 Case Structure (Contd.)

If years_employed = If years_employed =
2, bonus is set to 200 3, bonus is set to 400
If years_employed = If years_employed is
CASE
1, bonus is set to 100 years_employed
any other value,
bonus is set to 800

1 2 3 Other

bonus = bonus = bonus = bonus =

100 200 400 800
 Combining Structures
• Structures are commonly combined to create more complex algorithms.
• The flowchart segment below combines a decision structure with a
sequence structure.

YES
x < y? Display x Add 1 to x
 Combining Structures (Contd.)

• This flowchart segment

shows two decision
structures combined. NO YES
x > min?

Display “x is NO YES
outside the limits.”
x < max?

Display “x is Display “x is
outside the limits.” within limits.”