From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2008-02-16T07:04:56+09:00
Subject: Re: array of here documents

On 15.02.2008 20:09, Leonard Cuff wrote:
> 
> 
> On 2/9/08 3:09 AM, "Robert Klemme" <shortcutter@googlemail.com> wrote:
> 
>>> On 09.02.2008 12:04, Mark Woodward wrote:
>>> On Fri, 8 Feb 2008 18:17:28 -0500
>>> Xavier Noria <fxn@hashref.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Is there any reason you wouldn't set up the heredocs first and then add
>>> them to an array?
>>>
>>> HD1 = <<ENDHD1
>>> This is a heredoc.
>>> The first of 2.
>>> ENDHD1
>>>
>>> HD2 = <<ENDHD2
>>> This is the second heredoc.
>>> ie the last.
>>> ENDHD2
>>>
>>> a=[HD1,HD2]
>> Waste of constants / variables.
>>
>> robert
>>
> 
> I didn't know constants and variables were in short supply, I'll try to be
> more frugal. :-) :-)

Simpler is often better so frugality might not be the worst course you 
could take. :-)

> I hope you laugh rather than take offense.

No offense taken and it definitively made me smile. (-:

> I do want to make the point that code that is easier to understand by
> novices is inherently more maintainable. Writing "compact" code is often
> over valued, IMHO. I would much prefer to see Marks code, because of the
> ease of understanding it.

Completely agreed. There is of course room for interpretation.  If code 
is very elaborate to make understanding easier for novices it can defy 
the purpose of ease of reading.  If code gets compacted for compactness 
reasons (famous one liners) then it usually becomes hard to read.  A 
simple example: some people (former C programmers?) like to use 
assignments in if conditions, which is completely unnecessary and can 
easily be confused with equivalence checks:

1. bad

if foo = calc_foo()
...

2. good

foo = calc_foo()

if foo
...

There is really only one reason where assignment in conditions makes 
sense because the code becomes easier that way: in loops:

1. nice and short

while line = gets()
...
end

2. awful, because redundant

line = gets()
while line
...
   line = gets()
end


Back to the particular example at hand: in this case I would at least 
replace constants with regular local variables.  If you use constants as 
shown above, you would have to justify exposing these strings.  This 
usually only makes sense, if they are reused individually.  If they are 
not and are just temporarily there then local helper variables are 
definitively preferred.  I would even go as far as to put those here 
docs directly into the array.

Kind regards

	robert