From: Lyndon Samson <lyndon.samson@...>
Date: 2005-11-07T12:22:28+09:00
Subject: Re: programming best practices

On 11/7/05, swille <sillewille@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a couple of standard programming questions.  The first is that
> I often like to return true or false in a method when no other return
> value is really needed.  Is that bad form?  I was talking to someone
> the other day who said said something that made me think that maybe it
> was.  For example:
>
> def login()
>     rc = false
>     begin
>          perform action
>     rescue
>         rc = false
>         some error
>     end
>
>     return rc
> end
>
> I like that because it reads well when you use it
>
> if login
>     do_stuff
> else
>     complain
> end
>

Ruby doesnt have procedures, so every method call returns a value. Its
just nil by default.

Also, error conditions are usually best signalled with exceptions,
which sort of make checking return values redundant.




> My second question is this.  I occasionally see stuff like
> if -1 == result
>
Poor programmers do this to avoid accidental assignment :-)

> rather than
> if result == -1
>
> What, if any, is the benefit of one over the other?
>


> Thanks
>
>


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