Question: Which code snippet is "better"?

'r' on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 01:14:29 GMT, sez:

[Hint: which is easier to read?]

'Benjimawoo' on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 03:32:05 GMT, sez:

I find the first one easier to read and debug. Okay, you've got one line that can potentially kick out 2 errors, but the end result is that same - you have a variable with a value. I prefer that way to splitting the 2 as we had to in VB.OLD...

Might just be me, though..

'David' on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 05:39:43 GMT, sez:

I am more familiar with the second manner of coding and I would almost certainly code in that manner. My coding background is also in COBOL, where variables had to be defined in one part of program and assigned in another: old habits die hard.

The first snippet is probably better, there is no risk of typing the variable name incorrectly on the assignment or of additional code seperating the definition and assignment.

'Andrei' on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 06:20:55 GMT, sez:

The first one is better in all possible ways : first the reference gets instanced directly with the value you want. Second, in the case of the latter snippet you could have code between those 2 lines which use a reference without a value. Usually the compiler catches this at design-time. There are other considerations to ...

'JB' on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 12:40:25 GMT, sez:

Top one might be more efficient, but I always Dim my variable first and then assign them (#2). Just a habit I guess.

But Andrei is right, the first one is probably better.

'Matthew Martin' on Fri, 13 Aug 2004 16:17:01 GMT, sez:

Always intialize variables right away, it makes assumptions about the 'empty token' explicit. Sometimes we expect a brand new variable to be Empty, Null, Zero or some other domain specific token.

Always put real data into your variable after diming and intializing it, so if you need to reference your variable earlier, you don't also have to move your Dim statement.

Dim Name As String = "Anonymous Coward"
' Get input
Name = Person.Name

name


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enter the word:
 

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