Which method for scripting an AND conditional do you prefer?
- Single "If"
- Nested "If"s
Does the Single "If" method "short circuit" (a good thing in this context)?
The first is more compact, but I often prefer the second as I have two lines for debugger to stop to see the result of each IF check.
And I can use two ELSE for handling other cases.
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Good points.
I love guard clauses. They are clear and concise.
If [ not CF_gui_client ]
exit script
End If
# go ahead, we have GUI client
Much more readable and easier to maintain than the alternative
If [ CF_gui_client ]
...
... hundreds of lines of code ...
... many IF clauses
...
End If <<-- who does this belong to?
6 Likes
It depends. If the second clause has a single condition, a single ‘If’ line is fine and produces readable code. If the second clause has multiple conditions to check ‘Else If’, the nested version is easier to read.
Guard clauses can create problems. For example:
# Initialization.
Go to Layout [ "Some Layout" (Some Table) ; Animation: None ]
... other initialization code ...
# Guard clause
If [ some if condition ]
Exit Script [ some exit condition ]
End If
... more code ...
# Cleanup.
Go to Layout [ original layout ; Animation: None ]
... other cleanup code ...
I use what I call error-based code execution when warranted. For example:
# Initialization.
Set Variable [ $error ; 0 // No error ]
Go to Layout [ "Some Layout" (Some Table) ; Animation: None ]
... other initialization code ...
# Validation.
If [ some if condition is not met ]
Set Variable [ $error ; -1 // Or any other error code ]
End If
# Code block 1.
If [ not $error ]
... some code ...
... which may set the $error value ...
End If
# Code block 2.
If [ not $error ]
... same idea as code block 1 ...
End If
... more code blocks ...
# Cleanup.
Go to Layout [ original layout ; Animation: None ]
... other non conditional cleanup code ...
If [ $error ]
... conditional cleanup code ...
End If
# Return.
Exit Script [ some exit condition ]
I find it readable and easy to debug. Admittedly wordy.
Hope this helps.
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@bdbd Anything specific that would make you prefer the pattern you describe over a single pass loop?
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I am a fan exit loop if especially running transactions
// RUN
Loop
… do something
Set Variable [ $error ;
Value: JSONSetElement ( "" ;
["code" ; Get (LastError) ; JSONNumber] ;
["message" ; "error" ; JSONString] )
]
Exit Loop If [ JSONGetElement ( $error ; "code" ) > 0 ]
… do something again
Set Variable [ $error …
Exit Loop If [ JSONGetElement ( $error ; "code" ) > 0 ]
Exit Loop If [ True ] //terminate loop
End Loop
// REUSLT
If [ JSONGetElement ( $error ; "code" ) > 0 ]
Revert Record/Request [ With dialog: Off ]
Set Variable [ $result ; Value: $error ]
Else
Set Variable [ $result ;
Value: JSONSetElement ( "" ;
["error.code" ; 0 ; JSONNumber] ;
["error.message" ; "success" ; JSONString];
["data" ; $data ; JSONObject] )
]
End If
Exit Script [ Text Result: $result ]
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Yes, I have become a big fan of the "Single pass loop" method of constructing a script, with exit clauses that set variables like $ErrorCode, $ErrorDescription, etc. And of course, have cleanup steps at the end, outside the master loop.
But I think the original post was more a question of logical branching. That would still exist inside the overall single pass loop.
As with all things "it depends" but if the 2 conditions to evaluate are really simple (or already exist in variables for another reason), I would do that If in 1 line. If the 2 conditions are complicated and yet to be evaluated, I'll test the easier one (or the one more likely to fail the IF test), therefore short-circuiting the need for the need for second evaluation.
3 Likes
Was forgetting to answer…
I am no fan of single pass loops. I understand that they emulate object-oriented programming's (OOP) try (and similar) clause. While they make sense in OOP, the low-level programmer in me is not fond of spaghetti branching… which is essentially what an exit loop if statement does.
I'm pretty certain I am just being stubborn. That said, I prefer error-based code execution… more wordy, easy to follow and it handles more than just exclusion clauses.
Hope this helps.
1 Like
Been really appreciating seeing others' thoughts on this. Wasn't originally going to weigh in because I felt it might just repeat already posted content, but here it goes:
-
I don't much care for the nested Ifs, but there are cases (as mentioned by @flybynight), where I might sometimes use something similar to defer evaluating a potentially costly operation.
-
Though I often use compound conditions within a single IF, I have usually already evaluated the expressions in preceding lines, so that the IF statements can be comprised of variables that lend themselves to what I personally find readable.
As an example:
If( $_login_is_current AND $_operation_is_valid )
is an example of how I like my IF conditions to read.
That said -- I don't draw an absolute line on this aesthetic. If the calculation happens to be easily grokable on its own, I do not insist on first setting it to a variable. This is, of course a judgement call.
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