# Java: 'if' Statement - 'else if' style

## Series of tests

It is common to make a series of tests on a value, where the `else` part contains only another `if` statement. If you use indentation for the else part, it isn't easy to see that these are really a series of tests which are similar. It is better to write them at the same indentation level by writing the `if` on the same line as the `else`.

## Example -- series of tests

This code is correctly indented, but ugly and hard to read. It also can go very far to the right if there are many tests.

       if (score < 35)
          g.setColor(Color.magenta);
       else
          if (score < 50)
             g.setColor(Color.red);
          else
             if (score < 60)
                g.setColor(Color.orange);
             else
                if (score < 80)
                   g.setColor(Color.yellow);
                else
                   g.setColor(Color.green);

## Example -- using 'else if' style

Here is the same example, using a style of writing the `if` immediately after the `else`. This is a common exception to the indenting rules, because it results in much more readable programs:

    if (score < 35)
      g.setColor(Color.magenta);
    else if (score < 50)
      g.setColor(Color.red);
    else if (score < 60)
      g.setColor(Color.orange);
    else if (score < 80)
      g.setColor(Color.yellow);
    else
      g.setColor(Color.green);

## Complaint

Some programming languages recognize this as a common kind structured-programming construction, and have a special 'elseif' statement. This would be a nice thing to add to Java.