Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Off-side rule
open-in-new
<p>The off-side rule describes <a href="/facts/Syntax_/zM5oInza">syntax</a> of a <a href="/facts/Computer/SQe1aK05">computer</a> <a href="/facts/Programming_language/cWTYbgWa">programming language</a> that defines the bounds of a <a href="/facts/Block_(programming)/E6yG3dnJ">code block</a> via <a href="/facts/Indent_style/m1DGdgyC">indentation</a>. </p><p>The term was coined by <a href="/facts/Peter_Landin/V7dtseWL">Peter Landin</a>, possibly as a pun on the <a href="/facts/Offside_(association_football)/k0wscRcV">offside law</a> in <a href="/facts/Association_football/yttjeD0D">association football</a>. </p><p>An off-side rule language is contrasted with a <a href="/facts/Free-form_language/XI3gTvnw">free-form language</a> in which indentation has no syntactic meaning, and indentation is strictly a matter of <a href="/facts/Programming_style/8HoSgA0e">style</a>. </p><p>An off-side rule language is also described as having significant indentation. </p>