Re: Code elegance and cleanliness

> Just a quick question. Does it really matter how long your code is or how > many variables you use? For instance you can enter the following... > > $imgBkgrnd = array("1"=> "bkgrnd-default.gif", "2" => > "bkgrnd-positive.gif", "3" => "bkgrnd-negative.gif"); > $imgNeeded = table['field']; > $imgName = $imgBkgrnd[$imgNeeded]; > > or, you can code the same thing as... > > $imgBkgrnd = array("1"=> "bkgrnd-default.gif", "2" => > "bkgrnd-positive.gif", "3" => "bkgrnd-negative.gif"); > $imgName = $imgBkgrnd[$table['field']]; > > The first example uses one more variable and a longer code block but is > easier to read and debug. The second example uses one less variable and a > shorter code block but is harder to debug later. Should I be striving for > the shortest most compact code utilizing the fewest possible variables. > Or, > can I code in a style which is easier to read and debug? > > -- > Robb Kerr It depends. But in this case probably not. If I had several thousand lines of code then perhaps yes. But go with the first as it's a hell of a lot easier to read. -- --Matthew Sims --<http://killermookie.org>