From: Kirk Haines <khaines@...>
Date: 2004-02-15T00:10:20+09:00
Subject: Simple litle style question

This is just a simple little stylistic query that I became curious about 
after one of Ara Howard's questions the other day.

In general, do people prefer:

def simpleExample(t)
  x = block_meth do
    r = nil
    if t == 'forty-two'
      r = 42
    else
      r = 0
    end
    r
  end

  x
end


or:

def simpleExample(t)
  x = block_meth do
    if t == 'forty-two'
      r = 42
    else
      r = 0
    end
  end
end


both assuming this method is available:

def block_meth
  yield
end


i.e. do you explicity declare a return variable and put that variable 
right before the 'end' or do you rely on your audience being smart enough 
to perceive what the return value is going to be?

On a really short piece of code like this, I appreciate the elegant 
simplicity of not being explicit, though my person trend is to be explicit 
anyway.  On a longer piece of code, though, I can certainly see where it 
might not be as clear to a reader of the code just what is being returned, 
especially from a casual scan, if it is not done explicitly.

Is this clarity helpful, or is it a minor enough thing that the ugliness 
that it imparts to the code isn't worth it?  What do you all think?


Kirk Haines