What is the purpose of a conditional statement in programming?

A conditional statement in programming is designed specifically to control the flow of execution based on certain conditions. When a condition evaluates to true, the code block associated with that condition is executed, while if the condition evaluates to false, a different block (if present) may be executed, or the program may skip to subsequent code. This capability allows programmers to implement decision-making within their code, enabling the program to respond dynamically to different inputs or states.

For example, in an application that checks user credentials, a conditional statement might verify if the username and password match expected values. If they do, the application can proceed to grant access; if they do not, it can display an error message. Such a mechanism is fundamental in creating interactive and responsive programs. The primary role of conditional statements is to drive logic based on specific scenarios, making them essential for any programming task that requires variability in execution paths.