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esafak • today at 12:11 AM • 3 replies • view on HN

    if (This) {
        if (is) {
            if (much) {
                if (better) {
                    println("I get paid by the brace")
                }
            }
        }
    }

Replies

kazinator • today at 12:22 AM

False dichotomy. The problem is that the syntax implements a solution that is likely wrong in many situations and pairs with a bad program design. Maybe when we have this:

  what?.could?.possibly.go?.wrong = important_value()
Maybe we want code like this:

  if (!what)
    what = new typeof(what); // default-construct representative instance

  if (!what.could)
    what.could = new typeof(what.could);


  if (!what.could.possibly.go)
    what.could.possibly.go = new typeof(what.could.posssibly.go)


  // now assignment can take place and actually retain the stored value
  // since we may have allocated what, we have to be sure
  // we propagate it out of here.

  what.could.possibly.go.wrong = important_value();
and not code which throws away the value (and possibly its calculation).

Why would you ever write an assignment, but not expect that it "sticks"? Assignments are pretty important.

What if someone doesn't notice the question marks and proceeds to read the rest of the code thinking that the assignment always takes effect? Is that still readable?

➕ show 4 replies
jayd16 • today at 2:31 AM

    if (Actually 
        && Actually.you
        && Actually.you.would
        && Actually.you.would.write
        && Actually.you.would.write.it
        && Actually.you.would.write.it.like) {
            return this;
    }
muti • today at 12:16 AM

  if (!same) {
    return;
  }

  if (!number) {
    return;
  }

  if (!of_braces) {
    return;
  }

  println("but easier to read")
➕ show 1 reply