am I too wired? On coding style

[Zhang Weiwu]

Hello. I have a question that spining around my head for a long time. I
prefer to make this kind of if statement:

if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin']) Header(
'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
);

But almost all the 'good' php code I saw write it this way:

if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'])
{
Header(
'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
);
}

the argument is the latter is more readable and easy to understand. But,
to me, a if statement immediately followed by another statement or
function call is more readable and easy to understand. It saved me from
thinking what's after this statement or function call. Truly, I think
keeping a stack of 'if' or 'for' in the brain is difficult for me, I
tends to remove the {} and add the statement after if-clause when if
statement contain only one statement.

I am just thinking if my way of keeping code logic in brain is too
wired. If most people truly consider the {} more easier to
read/understand, I'll force myself write understandable code; if there
are only very small difference in understanding (considering reading
10000 line of source, even small difficulty counts), I would like to
keep my style.

[NSpam]

Re: am I too wired? On coding style

Zhang Weiwu wrote:[color=blue]
> Hello. I have a question that spining around my head for a long time. I
> prefer to make this kind of if statement:
>
> if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin']) Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
>
> But almost all the 'good' php code I saw write it this way:
>
> if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'])
> {
> Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
> }
>
> the argument is the latter is more readable and easy to understand. But,
> to me, a if statement immediately followed by another statement or
> function call is more readable and easy to understand. It saved me from
> thinking what's after this statement or function call. Truly, I think
> keeping a stack of 'if' or 'for' in the brain is difficult for me, I
> tends to remove the {} and add the statement after if-clause when if
> statement contain only one statement.
>
> I am just thinking if my way of keeping code logic in brain is too
> wired. If most people truly consider the {} more easier to
> read/understand, I'll force myself write understandable code; if there
> are only very small difference in understanding (considering reading
> 10000 line of source, even small difficulty counts), I would like to
> keep my style.
>[/color]
Its simply a matter of style. If its your own code use whatever format
you are comfortable with. If you are producing commercial code then go
with the style that the organisation uses.

[John Bokma]

Re: am I too wired? On coding style

Zhang Weiwu wrote:
[color=blue]
> Hello. I have a question that spining around my head for a long time.
> I prefer to make this kind of if statement:
>
> if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin']) Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
>
> But almost all the 'good' php code I saw write it this way:
>
> if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'])
> {
> Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
> }
>
> the argument is the latter is more readable and easy to understand.[/color]

Nah, the best argument is: if you use {} you can easily add debug
statements.

I would write it like:

if ( !$GLOBALS[ 'phpgw_info' ][ 'user' ][ 'admin' ] ) {

Header(

'Location: ' .
$GLOBALS[ 'phpgw' ]->link(

'/',
'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x'
)
);
}
[color=blue]
> But,
> to me, a if statement immediately followed by another statement or
> function call is more readable and easy to understand.[/color]

Then you'll have a hard time reading code. I guess that PHP can do the
following, which I even consider more clear:

$GLOBALS[ 'phpgw_info' ][ 'user' ][ 'admin' ] or
Header(

'Location: ' .
$GLOBALS[ 'phpgw' ]->link(

'/',
'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x'
)
);

so $GLOBALS bla bla OR else do Header ...

Which I sometimes indeed write as:

$GLOBALS[ 'phpgw_info' ][ 'user' ][ 'admin' ] or Header(

'Location: ' .
$GLOBALS[ 'phpgw' ]->link(

'/',
'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x'
)
);

if I am 100% sure it doesn't need debugging statements. I read the part
before the or as an assertion. It must be valid to continue, or else do
the or part to "fix" the problem. In my Perl code I do things like:

defined $variable or $variable = 'default value';

Which I read: the variable must be defined, or else, give it a defined
value.

( sometimes you see this written as: $variable ||= 'default value',
which can be wrong in special cases).
[color=blue]
> It saved me from
> thinking what's after this statement or function call. Truly, I think
> keeping a stack of 'if' or 'for' in the brain is difficult for me, I
> tends to remove the {} and add the statement after if-clause when if
> statement contain only one statement.[/color]

Yup, and then you have to put the {} back when you want to debug a piece
of code.

--
John MexIT: http://johnbokma.com/mexit/
personal page: http://johnbokma.com/
Experienced programmer available: http://castleamber.com/
Happy Customers: http://castleamber.com/testimonials.html

[Chung Leong]

Re: am I too wired? On coding style

"Zhang Weiwu" <zhangweiwu@rea lss.com> wrote in message
news:q51kf2x4o6 .ln2@arneg.hack erdom.org...[color=blue]
> Hello. I have a question that spining around my head for a long time. I
> prefer to make this kind of if statement:
>
> if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin']) Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
>
> But almost all the 'good' php code I saw write it this way:
>
> if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'])
> {
> Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
> }
>
> the argument is the latter is more readable and easy to understand. But,
> to me, a if statement immediately followed by another statement or
> function call is more readable and easy to understand. It saved me from
> thinking what's after this statement or function call. Truly, I think
> keeping a stack of 'if' or 'for' in the brain is difficult for me, I
> tends to remove the {} and add the statement after if-clause when if
> statement contain only one statement.
>
> I am just thinking if my way of keeping code logic in brain is too
> wired. If most people truly consider the {} more easier to
> read/understand, I'll force myself write understandable code; if there
> are only very small difference in understanding (considering reading
> 10000 line of source, even small difficulty counts), I would like to
> keep my style.
>[/color]

I like this better:

$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'] or HeAdEr(
'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->lInK('/',
'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x'));



Actually, I don't :-)

[NSpam]

Re: am I too wired? On coding style

Chung Leong wrote:[color=blue]
> "Zhang Weiwu" <zhangweiwu@rea lss.com> wrote in message
> news:q51kf2x4o6 .ln2@arneg.hack erdom.org...
>[color=green]
>>Hello. I have a question that spining around my head for a long time. I
>>prefer to make this kind of if statement:
>>
>>if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin']) Header(
>>'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
>>link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
>>);
>>
>>But almost all the 'good' php code I saw write it this way:
>>
>>if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'])
>>{
>>Header(
>>'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
>>link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
>>);
>>}
>>
>>the argument is the latter is more readable and easy to understand. But,
>>to me, a if statement immediately followed by another statement or
>>function call is more readable and easy to understand. It saved me from
>>thinking what's after this statement or function call. Truly, I think
>>keeping a stack of 'if' or 'for' in the brain is difficult for me, I
>>tends to remove the {} and add the statement after if-clause when if
>>statement contain only one statement.
>>
>>I am just thinking if my way of keeping code logic in brain is too
>>wired. If most people truly consider the {} more easier to
>>read/understand, I'll force myself write understandable code; if there
>>are only very small difference in understanding (considering reading
>>10000 line of source, even small difficulty counts), I would like to
>>keep my style.
>>[/color]
>
>
> I like this better:
>
> $GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'] or HeAdEr(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->lInK('/',
> 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x'));
>
>
>
> Actually, I don't :-)
>
>[/color]
Readability is more important than brevity, Revisiting code that was
written months ago is always a problem whether in ones own code space or
a commercial environment. I suppose the phrase "pleas leave this code in
the state you would like to find it" just about sums the argument up <g>

[nospam@geniegate.com]

Re: am I too wired? On coding style

In: <q51kf2x4o6.ln2 @arneg.hackerdo m.org>, Zhang Weiwu <zhangweiwu@rea lss.com> wrote:[color=blue]
>Hello. I have a question that spining around my head for a long time. I
>prefer to make this kind of if statement:
>
>if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin']) Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
>);[/color]

Personally, I hate when people do that. I like the { }, I just
find it easier to see what statement goes with what. (Particularly
if it's followed by a statement that spans multiple lines)

[color=blue]
>But almost all the 'good' php code I saw write it this way:[/color]
[color=blue]
>if (!$GLOBALS['phpgw_info']['user']['admin'])
>{
> Header(
> 'Location: '.$GLOBALS['phpgw']->
> link('/', 'menuaction=for um.uiforum.inde x')
> );
>}[/color]

I don't like that either. (I must be a grump!) Here is what I like:

if($condition) { //1-liner }

if($condition) {
// multi
// line
// code.
}

Some folks really hate my style too. Sometimes I'll break $condition
across multiple lines, but only if it can't easily fit on 1 line.

Heh.. I think light ought to be spelled 'lite' too. :-)
[color=blue]
>10000 line of source, even small difficulty counts), I would like to
>keep my style.[/color]

$works_for_you ? keepYourStyle() :change();

Jamie
--
http://www.geniegate.com Custom web programming
guhzo_42@lnubb. pbz (rot13) User Management Solutions