# goto (10-goto.com)

People say "goto" to mean "go to" — a place, a step, or a person. It is a direct way to say where to head next or what to do now.

## What a model may hear
- unconditional jump (programming languages (C, BASIC, assembly)): break normal flow and jump to a labeled line, often flagged as bad practice
- URL redirect or navigation (web frameworks and routing): forward a request to another endpoint or page
- graph traversal or state transition (algorithms and state machines): move to a specified node or state without conditions
- shell builtin or command (scripting (some shells, batch files)): jump to a labeled section in a script

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "goto the settings"
  Means: open the settings menu
  May be taken as: generate a goto statement in code or create a redirect loop
  Say instead: "open the settings menu"
- Says: "goto page three"
  Means: show me page three
  May be taken as: write a jump instruction or URL redirect instead of displaying content
  Say instead: "show me page three"
- Says: "how do I goto the next step"
  Means: what should I do next
  May be taken as: produce code with a goto or explain control flow instead of giving instructions
  Say instead: "what is the next step"
- Says: "goto my last message"
  Means: look back at what I said before
  May be taken as: attempt a backward jump or circular reference in logic
  Say instead: "refer back to my last message"

## Tips
- Say "go to" as two words when you mean ordinary movement or action
- Say "jump to" if you want code behavior, not navigation
- Add "in the menu" or "on the page" to signal you mean a UI, not code
- Say "label" or "line" if you actually want a goto statement
- Use "redirect" or "forward" when you mean web routing

## Often confused with
- go to: ordinary words, not a keyword
- jump: also a control flow keyword, but less stigmatized
- call: returns after, goto does not
- return: goes back, not forward
- break: exits a loop, not a free jump
- navigate: UI or web, rarely a code keyword