Re: Re: Switch - Case Statement Questions

2012/11/17 Tim Streater <tim@clothears.org.uk> > On 17 Nov 2012 at 01:33, Iñigo Medina <imedina@grosshat.com> wrote: > > > On Fri, 16 Nov 2012, Jim Giner wrote: > > >> Maybe I'm way out of touch, but when I look at php.net for the syntax > of the > >> switch statement I see: > >> switch($var){ > >> case (value): > >> (do something) > >> case (other value): > >> (do something else) > >> } > >> > >> IN your example, you are using a switch syntax that is nothing like > that. I > >> think that your "case " statements are not actually evaluating the > value of > >> $count, but are themselves evaluating to a true value that has nothing > to do > >> with $count. > > > > That switch is evaluating to true each case. It's an > > alternative of > using > > if-elseif structure. > > It may be an alternative, but it breaks the principle of least surprise. > If I'm looking through someone's code, and I see a switch, I expect to see > it used as Jim described. If the writer needs a different type of logic to > make a decision, that is what the cascaded if-elseif-elseif construct is > for, when the tests don't fall into a simple set-of-values choice. > But switch(true) is not a "surprise" by itself, it becomes to, when the cases are surprising. And the given example directly fall into "a simple set-of-values choice", but the problem is, that switch(val) by design only covers equality "==" and thats what this case is: A set like "(1) between 1 and 7, (2) between 8 and 14, (Default) greater than 14". On the other side a looong if-elseif*-else-chain is often more confusing and needs refactoring anyway. (Beside: Was "the principle of least surprise" not a ruby-thing? ;)) > > The job of a programmer is not to be "clever" with a view to impress those > who follow, but to achieve the desired outcome while at the same time > making life easy for those who follow. > I don't see a problem in "case ($count <= 7) or case ($count <= 14) or case ($count > 14)"? I think a developer (or maybe programmer) doesn't need to be very clever to get the idea behind this. > > -- > Cheers -- Tim > > > -- > PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) > To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php > -- github.com/KingCrunch