conditionCode

Condition code is a small field or set of bits in a computer processor’s status register that records the result of the most recent arithmetic or logical operation. It serves as a concise source of information for subsequent conditional instructions, enabling the processor to decide which path to take without recomputing results.

The exact meaning and width of the condition code vary by architecture. In many systems, the field represents a few possible outcomes such as zero, positive, negative, or overflow, and may also reflect carry or borrow from arithmetic operations. Some older architectures used a two-bit or four-bit condition code with a fixed interpretation, while modern designs typically expose a flags or status register with multiple named indicators (for example, sign, zero, carry, and overflow).

Usage commonly appears in conditional branches or instructions that test the result of the previous operation. A program might execute a compare or arithmetic instruction and then branch differently if the condition code indicates equality, negativity, overflow, or another state. High-level languages translate these checks into conditional branches or conditional move instructions that rely on the processor’s condition code.

Because the term and its exact semantics depend on the architecture, condition codes are primarily of interest in low-level programming, systems design, and historical contexts. They influence how efficiently a processor can implement control flow and how portable assembly or compiler backends are across different CPU families. See also: flags register, status register, conditional branch.