C is called a structured programming language because to solve a large problem, C programming language divides the problem into smaller structural blocks each of which handles a particular responsibility. These structural blocks are –

  • Decision making blocks like if-else-elseif, switch-cases,
  • Repetitive blocks like For-loop, While-loop, Do-while loop etc
  • subroutines/procedures - functions

The program which solves the entire problem is a collection of such structural blocks. Even a bigger structural block like a function can have smaller inner structural blocks like decisions and loops.

One of the most important concepts of programming is the ability to control a program so that different lines of code are executed or that some lines of code are executed many times. The mechanisms that allow us to control the flow of execution are called control structures. Flowcharting is a method of documenting (charting) the flow (or paths) that a program would execute. There are three main categories of control structures:

  • Sequence– Very boring. Simply do one instruction then the next and the next. Just do them in a given sequence or in the order listed. Most lines of code are this.
  • Selection– This is where you select or choose between two or more flows. The choice is decided by asking some sort of question. The answer determines the path (or which lines of code) will be executed.
  • Iteration– Also known as repetition, it allows some code (one to many lines) to be executed (or repeated) several times. The code might not be executed at all (repeat it zero times), executed a fixed number of times or executed indefinitely until some condition has been met. Also known as looping because the flowcharting shows the flow looping back to repeat the task.

Advantages of Structured Programming Approach:

  1. Easier to read and understand
  2. User Friendly
  3. Easier to Maintain
  4. Mainly problem based instead of being machine based
  5. Development is easier as it requires less effort and time
  6. Easier to Debug
  7. Machine-Independent, mostly.

Disadvantages of Structured Programming Approach:

  1. Since it is Machine-Independent, So it takes time to convert into machine code.
  2. The converted machine code is not the same as for assembly language.
  3. The program depends upon changeable factors like data-types. Therefore it needs to be updated with the need on the go.
  4. Usually the development in this approach takes longer time as it is language-dependent. Whereas in the case of assembly language, the development takes lesser time as it is fixed for the machine.