On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:47:16 -0600, Bryan R Harris wrote:
> Okay, here's one I struggle with often -- is one of these better than
> the other?
>
> **************************************
> A.
> if ( isFlat($tire) ) { changeTire($tire); }
>
> B.
> checkFlatAndChangeTireIfNecessary($tire);
>
> **************************************
Ah, a recovering Java programmer :-)
Seriously, the letsRunAsManyWordsAsPossibleTogether style bugs the heck
out of me. The Perlish style (perldoc perlstyle) would be
check_flat_and_change_tire_if_necessary( $tire )
and I agree with Shawn's suggestion of object methods. But even if you
don't use objects, you can clearly remove at least some redundancy:
check_flat_and_change_if_necessary( $tire )
Personally I would, all things being equal, probably write that as
is_flat( $tire) and change_tire( $tire )
putting the "tire" back in because a subroutine named just "change" is too
vague. Oh, I see that's exactly what Shawn had. GMTA :-) There is also
change_tire( $tire ) if is_flat( $tire );
depending on what you think is more important, the changing or the
checking. TIMTOWDI.
The question you pose is one I see raised often in Java circles. It comes
up rarely among Perl programmers. Possibly because we do not use nearly
as many IDEs and automated refactoring tools. Neither will you find Perl
programmers enamored of Hungarian notation, for instance. But remember
that in Java these would be method calls anyway. Design Patterns in Perl
look rather different. Many design patterns exist only to solve problems
that don't exist in Perl (think typing).
Java programmers are far more obsessed with learning correct ways of
structuring methods. I find their discussions interesting but mostly
academic. As long as my methods and subroutines are under a screen's
length each and reusability is maximized (Don't Repeat Yourself), I'm
happy. Whether the condition goes inside or outside the subroutine may
depend on usage.
The older I get, the shorter my methods get.
--
Peter Scott
http://www.perlmedic.com/
http://www.perldebugged.com/
http://www.informit.com/store/product.aspx?isbn=0137001274
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