The Clue If-then-____ (programming trio)
The Answer ELSE
The clue "If-then-____" refers to a common structure in programming called a conditional statement. In this structure, "if" checks a condition, "then" specifies what happens if the condition is true, and "else" describes what happens if the condition is false. Therefore, "else" completes the trio and is the correct answer to the crossword clue. This pattern helps programmers control the flow of their code based on different situations.