I prefer not to set function local variables to an specific type until I'm
actually about to use them. I alwasy initialize them to an empty string if I
can't initialize them to their final value. That is, I will initialize
structures and arrays up front if I know they will definitely hold a value
at some point. Otherwise I will initialize them to an empty string.
There are 3 reasons.
1. I'm lazy and it's a bit slower to type queryNew('unknown') etc. Then I
run into internal conflicts saying that if I'm going to create the query, I
really should give it the right columns. That then leads to a bit more
maintenance overhead if I need to change which columns the real query is
returning.
2. There is a pretty much negligible performance overhead, but given that
the more performant way also allows me to be lazier I tend to follow that
path.
3. If I ever change the type of the variable, say from a query to an xml
file, I have one less place where I might forget to update the reference and
so introduce a sleeping bug. On the surface you might think this is still a
problem if I change from using a structure to an array, but in that case you
usually have to go back to the point where the variable is initialized in
order to make the change at all.
I occasionally mull over the wisdom of initializing any local variables to
anything other than an empty string for the reasons I mentioned in point 3,
but so far it hasn't bitten me, and again, it allows me to follow the path
of the lazy coder. Only doing things where necessary.
My 2 cents
Spike
--------------------------------------------
Stephen Milligan
Code poet for hire
http://www.spike.org.uk
Do you cfeclipse? http://cfeclipse.tigris.org
>-----Original Message-----
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Bryan F. Hogan
>Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 12:43 PM
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: Re: [CFCDev] Making Persistant CFCs thread safe
>
>This is totally acceptable. Neither way suggested is best, best is the
>fact that variables should be var scoped, which you correctly do. When
>it comes to the preferance on setting the types it just that, a
>preferance, not good or bad, it depends on the methodology
>that you are
>using.
>
>Stacy Young wrote:
>
>> For queries I normally initialize as a string (maybe not
>best but works)
>>
>> <cfset var myQuery = "" />
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