| Re: [rap-dev] Coding Standards: break, continue, multiple returns |
I think there are situations where multiple returns, etc are bad, but those should be easily identifiable using that "common sense" thing we (probably) all have.
+1
Am 15.05.2013 22:01, schrieb Ralf Sternberg:
Hi all,
our coding standards [1] include include a ban on break, continue, and multiple return statements. These restrictions originate from Dijkstra's rules for structured programming [2], which ensure a linear program flow and help to keep long procedures comprehensible.
Programming has changed since then and I think the code we write today (object-oriented, short methods) does not really benefit from these rules anymore. In fact, using breaks or multiple returns often results in code that is clearer and easier to read. For example, take the following method:
String findFirstMatch( List<String> strings ) {
for( string : strings ) {
if( string.startsWith( "/" ) ) {
return string;
}
}
return null;
}
Following our conventions, we used to write it like this:
String findFirstMatch( List<String> strings ) {
String result = null;
Iterator<String> iterator = strings.iterator();
while( iterator.hasNext() && result == null ) {
String string = iterator.next();
if( string.startsWith( "/" ) ) {
result = string;
}
}
return result;
}
The second version is not only longer, I think that the extra code to avoid the return even obscures its mechanics. It's easy to miss the "&& result == null" in the while condition which actually makes the difference between finding the first or the last match.
I think that clarity and readability should be the guiding principle for writing code, especially for framework code that is read much more often than it is written. So I have broken with these rules, first as an experiment, but meanwhile I'm convinced that they are not beneficial anymore.
I'm not saying that breaks and multiple returns should be generally preferred, but neither should they be generally avoided. Some code is better written with a break and I don't believe that avoiding these statements makes our code clearer or safer.
I therefore propose to lift the ban on break, continue and multiple return statements, and at the same time to reinforce our commitment to writing short and concise methods in an additional paragraph in our coding standards.
What do you think?
Regards,
Ralf
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