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04-12-2008, 05:32 AM
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 Re: Coding style question > I think Tom stated it pretty well: > > When the variable is going to be set anyway in straight-line code > at the top of the function, then it's mostly a matter of taste > whether you set it with an initializer or an assignment. > > the key phrase is: "set anyway in straigh-tline code /at the top of > the function//_"_/ >> > (I don't go so far as to introduce artificial scopes just for the sake >> > of nesting variable declarations). >> >> I don't introduce artificial scopes either. However, I do try to declare >> variables in the most-tightly-enclosing scope. For example, if a >> variable is only used in one branch of an if statement, declare the >> variable inside that block, not in the enclosing scope. >> > good... This may not inform the current conversation at all, but a while back I went on a cross-compiler compatibility binge for all of my active projects, and I found that some compilers (*cough* Borland *cough) had some very strange compiler/run time errors unless all variables were declared at the top of the function, before any other code gets executed. For better or for worse, I started strictly declaring all variables in this manner, with initialization happening afterward, and the behavior has stuck with me. I don't know whether any compilers used for postgres builds still have this issue - it's been a few years. >> I also find that if you're declaring a lot of variables in a single >> block, that's usually a sign that the block is too large and should be >> refactored (e.g. by moving some code into separate functions). If you >> keep your functions manageably small (which is not always the case in >> the Postgres code, unfortunately), the declarations are usually pretty >> clearly visible. >> > > I couldn't agree more. > Insert emphatic agreement here. Refactoring into smaller functions or doing a bit of object orientation almost always solves that readability problem for me. -- Nolan Cafferky Software Developer IT Department RBS Interactive nolan.cafferky@rbsinteractive.com      |
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04-12-2008, 05:32 AM
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| Re: Coding style question Nolan Cafferky wrote: > > This may not inform the current conversation at all, but a while back > I went on a cross-compiler compatibility binge for all of my active > projects, and I found that some compilers (*cough* Borland *cough) had > some very strange compiler/run time errors unless all variables were > declared at the top of the function, before any other code gets > executed. For better or for worse, I started strictly declaring all > variables in this manner, with initialization happening afterward, and > the behavior has stuck with me. I don't know whether any compilers > used for postgres builds still have this issue - it's been a few years. We expect the compiler to be C89 compliant at a minimum. If it rejects simple initialisation in the declarations or variables declared in an inner scope then it's hopeless for our purposes, surely. We have lots of such code. cheers andrew ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 2: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster |
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