Re: Multiple returns vs. Single exit

A much better policy would be "don't write code that is confusing and
hard to interpret."

The problem with that is non-programmers can't look at something and
tell if it is confusing but they can look at something and tell if it
has a return statement, and policies like that are written by
non-programmers to impress other non-programmers.

I was part of a small internal study a long time ago which determined
that the idea flowchart to interpret would fit on one page and use boxes
to refer to other full page flowcharts, just like subroutines.  One of
the results of that was the guideline that subroutines should fit on one
page.  Today we would fit them on a screen.  If the method fits on a
screen, all the returns are obvious and it is not difficult to
interpret.

Ivan Mann



-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of advanced Java topics.
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ted Neward
Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2008 10:33 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [ADVANCED-JAVA] Multiple returns vs. Single exit

Dogma is the root of all evil.

Ted Neward
Java, .NET, XML Services
Consulting, Teaching, Speaking, Writing
http://www.tedneward.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Discussion of advanced Java topics. [mailto:ADVANCED- 
> [email protected]] On Behalf Of Mark Gorokhov
> Sent: Friday, December 28, 2007 11:52 AM
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: [ADVANCED-JAVA] Multiple returns vs. Single exit
>
> Our company has a coding standard which prohibits multiple returns 
> from a method. I think that mandating to use a single exit from a 
> method makes code less readable but I have to follow this standard.
>
> It seems to me that there is no agreement on this. Search returns many

> entries.
>
> Vote for multiple returns:
> http://ivan.truemesh.com/archives/000611.html
> http://peripateticaxiom.blogspot.com/2006/03/functional-style-and-
> multip
> le-returns.html
> http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2004-December/034134.html
> http://www.javapractices.com/topic/TopicAction.do?Id=114
>
> Vote for a single exit:
> http://jroller.com/fra3k/entry/code_improvement_guidelines
> http://www.extragroup.de/weblog/hmk/archives/002997.html
> http://www.extragroup.de/weblog/hmk/archives/002999.html
> http://whatimean.wordpress.com/2007/02/08/multiple-return-points-are-
> bad
>
>
> History & discussions:
> http://osdir.com/ml/programming.language-of-the-year/2005-
> 01/msg00043.ht
> ml
> http://www.codecomments.com/archive205-2004-12-340086.html
> http://www.leepoint.net/JavaBasics/methods/method-commentary/methcom-
> 30-
> multiple-return.html
> http://onthethought.blogspot.com/2004/12/multiple-return-
> statements.html
>
>
> This question is definitely not an advanced one but I'm interested in 
> your opinion.
>
> Thanks
> Mark G.
>
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