Control flow
Control flow is the order and path of execution through a program or process, including sequencing, branching, repetition, and transfers between operations.
Modern C
Control flow is the order in which execution proceeds among statements and functions in a program.
- How it is used
- Frames how execution moves among statements and functions, while guiding readers toward readable, structured C control flow.
- How deep it goes
- Descends from sequencing and returns to basic-block boundaries, while deferring detailed jump and signal behavior.
- Examples
- Uses a startup-to-main-to-printf execution path, {} blocks, nested jumps, and controlling expressions as examples.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand execution paths and structure C code so its control flow remains obvious.
Modern C, Third Edition
Control flow is the order in which execution proceeds among a program's operations and functions.
- How it is used
- Explains how C statements and functions are sequenced and how readable structure makes that sequence apparent.
- How deep it goes
- Descends from function returns to basic-block boundaries and structured composition, while deferring detailed signal and jump variations.
- Examples
- Uses startup-to-main-to-printf execution, function returns, compound statements, buried jumps, and intricate controlling expressions.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand C execution paths by identifying basic blocks, function suspension and return, and visibly structured branching.
Build an AI Agent (From Scratch)
Control flow is the sequence and selection of computational operations that determines what a program does next.
- How it is used
- Frames control flow as the mechanism for executing multi-step agent tasks and expressing complex business logic.
- How deep it goes
- Explains selection, repetition, exception handling, and agent looping through concrete scenarios and Python listings.
- Examples
- Uses research agents, multi-file processing, and budget-and-rating product filtering as concrete examples.
- What you can do after
- Apply control flow through Python loops and conditionals to coordinate tools and automate multi-step processing.
Read how Build an AI Agent (From Scratch) explains control flow →
Functional Programming in Scala, Second Edition
Control flow is the ordering and transfer of execution among operations in a program.
- How it is used
- Represents effectful program sequencing explicitly so an interpreter can control execution.
- How deep it goes
- Defines three constructors and a tail-recursive interpreter, including delayed evaluation and continuation handling.
- Examples
- Uses printLine, forever, nested FlatMap structures, and unsafeRun as concrete artifacts.
- What you can do after
- Build effectful computations as data and interpret them with a tail-recursive unsafeRun loop.
Read how Functional Programming in Scala, Second Edition explains control flow →
Related concepts
- conditional logicincludes · Conditional logic is a programming technique that selects execution paths, actions, or result values according to evaluated conditions.
- loopincludes · A loop is a programming control-flow construct that repeatedly executes a block of instructions according to an iteration rule or continuation condition.
- threadincludes · A thread is an independently schedulable sequence or context of execution within a program or process.
- precedence constraintuses · A precedence constraint requires one task or operation to occur before another dependent task or operation.
- DSPyused by · DSPy is a Python framework for declaratively programming, composing, evaluating, and optimizing language-model applications and pipelines.
- SSIS packagepart of · An SSIS package is a deployable unit that contains control-flow tasks, data flows, connections, and configuration for an integration workflow.
These guides are generated from the text of Manning books by Manning's knowledge graph and link to the sections they draw on. The full books are available on liveBook and at manning.com.