[investor5555]

I have seen code like this over and over again:

if (someVariable == true)
{ ... }

if (someVariable == false) 
{ ... }

if (someVariable != false) 
{ ... }

Isn't this sufficient:

if (someVariable)
{ ... }

if (!someVariable)
{ ... }

What makes it worse is when I see things like

if (notVisible != false) 
{ ... }

How negative do you want to be?

[stackoverflow]

Um, if you're going to do that then...

if( someVar ){

} else { 
// !someVar

}

Not to mention, using an else is faster because the 'not' conditions are not being re-evaluated.

This post has been edited by stackoverflow: 15 February 2012 - 08:06 PM

[Zachari]

Surprisingly, a lot of people don't learn that you can do that. A lot of programmers out there are just trying to get a program to work, and they forget about optimization and sensible code.

[Gamma Ray]

There, there... There, there...

[aliancemd]

investor5555, on 15 February 2012 - 06:54 PM, said:

Isn't this sufficient:

if (someVariable)
{ ... }

if (!someVariable)
{ ... }

Why don't you use else?

if ( someVariable ) {
...
} else {
...
}

And btw, switch is faster than if/else because it creates a special table of options instead of checking every line.

switch ( someVariable ) {
case 0: ... break;
default: ...
}

[GenHornet18]

I argue daily the benefits of performance over code clarity and it always comes out to a matter of opinion.

@aliancemd I would argue that the compiled (OP posted in C++) code determines the execution speed (which is compiler/arch independent). On average (dependent on compiler, etc.) the usage of a switch statement to evaluate boolean operations would likely be slower (due to the overhead of setting up a jump-table) and it would therefore be more prudent to use a simple if-else statement.

[AdamSpeight2008]

Not if the jump table is created at compile which .net does.

[aliancemd]

GenHornet18, on 17 February 2012 - 12:31 AM, said:

I argue daily the benefits of performance over code clarity and it always comes out to a matter of opinion.

@aliancemd I would argue that the compiled (OP posted in C++) code determines the execution speed (which is compiler/arch independent). On average (dependent on compiler, etc.) the usage of a switch statement to evaluate boolean operations would likely be slower (due to the overhead of setting up a jump-table) and it would therefore be more prudent to use a simple if-else statement.

I don't recommend using switch for boolean, I actually don't use switch for boolean, I just tried to show that switch is there for if/else too and it is better.

[djkitt]

This is the kind of code I encountered when I started in my current position:

     
        If a = 0 Then b = 1
        If a = 0 Then c = 1
        If a = 1 Then b = 2
        If a = 1 Then c = 2
        If a <> 0 And a <> 1 Then b = 3
        If a <> 0 And a <> 1 Then c = 3
  

This kind of code was everywhere and was much lengthier.

The young man that preceded me had just graduated from college, but c'mon...

[November-06]

I just graduated from college too but I never coded like that.

We had programming subjects in elementary and high school and never in my elementary or high school days have I coded like that.

[Dormilich]

I never graduated in CS, but even I never wrote such code.

[BBuschRN]

djkitt, on 20 February 2012 - 02:16 PM, said:

This is the kind of code I encountered when I started in my current position:

     
        If a = 0 Then b = 1
        If a = 0 Then c = 1
        If a = 1 Then b = 2
        If a = 1 Then c = 2
        If a <> 0 And a <> 1 Then b = 3
        If a <> 0 And a <> 1 Then c = 3
  

This kind of code was everywhere and was much lengthier.

The young man that preceded me had just graduated from college, but c'mon...

OMG that's hilarious - you should put that in the Nightmare.In.Code forum!! I just started and even that hurts my eyes!!

[BBuschRN]

Sorry but how do I edit? I just realized that we are in said forum... (it's been a long day)

[AdamSpeight2008]

Too late! It's already on the internet, where it'll live on as troll bait.

[Dormilich]

investor5555, on 16 February 2012 - 02:54 AM, said:

What makes it worse is when I see things like

if (notVisible != false) 
{ ... }

How negative do you want to be?

sometimes that is necessary when you evaluate function return values in loosely-typed languages. though in that case you'd use type-safe comparison (aka. !== or ===)