[travesty]

I seen this picture on Facebook, and this one really has me stumped. I'm sure the answer is somewhere, but I honestly don't know what to google to find it. Someone on Facebook said "left is a good practice, but both will run", and it had 6 likes and no one argued against it. So why is left a good practice? Just wondering if i should change my ways.

[Martyr2]

Neither are a better practice than the other, it is just a joke on the matter of style. Some programmers put the opening curly brace on its own line and others do not. For instance, I do not. I am the "right". But neither is wrong or more right than the other. It is just a matter of coding style.

Some "official" coding standards out there (for instance like Microsoft) encourage programmers to use the left in attempt to make things more "readable" and be consistent with other code they have already written.

But you will find many programmers do either style. Several of us here on DIC actually are "righties" and some are "lefties". But again, it is just a style and a matter of taste. Neither is worse than the other and don't let them tell you any different. You will see both in books too.

This post has been edited by Martyr2: 12 August 2013 - 10:07 PM

[axel1994]

I also am a "rightie".

I find it more readable. When I look at code, I find it easier to see which brackets belong to which statement when the "right" is used.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Indent style

Left is Allman, right is K&R.

I prefer Allman, but the quirks of Javascript sort of demand the use of K&R.

[BlueMelon]

I prefer the right (K&R)
I find it easier to read and code looks more compact.

This post has been edited by BlueMelon: 13 August 2013 - 05:27 AM

[xclite]

For Java, I go left. For C, right, though usually this is a matter of following project convention.

For languages like ruby with word delimiters, right.

[lordofduct]

I'm an Allman/Leftie.

I will use what is required by the project if needed.

Personally I find it more readable, my brain picks up on the bracket symbols a lot better than words. So I see it as an opening rather easily; while still only having to read the first character of a line. Words to me mean variables/constants/etc. It's mainly because of my math background where the alphabet are usually used for the variables and constants, and other symbols for operators.

It's one of my only issues in having to write VB.Net for my job, everything uses english text. So I have to actually READ the damn text to know what's going on, as opposed to just looking for simple symbols. Which is why I prefer C# (as well as C-like languages in general). Coming from a math background is mainly why. Even the functions in math match C-style, where it's alphabet followed by parens with inputs comma delimited:

f(x,y)

This post has been edited by lordofduct: 13 August 2013 - 07:02 AM

[Switters]

I'm a leftie. Don't listen to anyone who argues for the style on the right. Studies have shown that 98% of people who prefer the K&R indentation style were dropped frequently as children and have a high tendency towards deviant behavior.<sup>[1]

[1]</sup>Requires citation.

This post has been edited by Switters: 13 August 2013 - 07:53 AM

[cfoley]

I was dropped as a child and have a strong preference for K&R.

It's compactness gives it a slight advantage when typesetting books. Since most of us don't write books, it really doesn't matter.

This post has been edited by cfoley: 13 August 2013 - 09:27 AM

[daydr3am3r]

I'm a leftie. Can't stand the right alternative and I cannot follow the brackets, no matter what.
But there is no right or wrong here.

K&R gives compact code but the Allman style makes the code easier to follow (or it should but it's not available for everybody) since all brackets are on the same "column" so you will always new the closing bracket is somewhere straight below.

Also, you shouldn't worry much about this since most editors offer the possibility to set the style you like, no matter how others code.

[cfoley]

Quote

the Allman style makes the code easier to follow

I think whichever you are used to is easier to follow.

[daydr3am3r]

cfoley, on 13 August 2013 - 10:26 AM, said:

Quote

the Allman style makes the code easier to follow

I think whichever you are used to is easier to follow.

I said it's my own opinion, not that this is how it should be.

[travesty]

Ok, they both seem to be the same for ease of following, so I might just stay with right for now.

[andrewsw]

My two cents: I'm a rightie, particularly coming from JS. I don't believe having brackets running down a column is easier to spot matches - our eyes don't work that way In fact, I don't think it is possible for our eyes to follow, without detour, a vertical line down a screen. With the second version I can scan down and see the matching bracket on the right .

But, again, just an opinion . It doesn't really bother me though, I've left C# with the default indent style.

This post has been edited by andrewsw: 13 August 2013 - 01:52 PM

[mojo666]

In simple code, it really doesn't matter. In code that has large blocks of commands with very little nesting, left tends to be slightly more readable. When you have so many nested code blocks that compactness becomes a serious issue (in functional languages for example), right is more or less required.