Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!microsoft!jimad
From: jimad@microsoft.UUCP (Jim ADCOCK)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: Re: C++ coding standards (Comment needed)
Keywords: standard,variables
Message-ID: <56529@microsoft.UUCP>
Date: 13 Aug 90 22:11:05 GMT
References: <2161@runxtsa.runx.oz.au>
Reply-To: jimad@microsoft.UUCP (Jim ADCOCK)
Organization: Microsoft Corp., Redmond WA
Lines: 14

In article <2161@runxtsa.runx.oz.au> edward@runxtsa.runx.oz.au (Edward Birch) writes:
>A friend of mine works with a large organization where they have defined a
>standard that "variables must be declared where first used".
>
>I think that this is an absolutely insane standard for the following reasons:
....

I believe the major goal should be to initialize where declared.  Since
some initialization values are computed down-stream in a function, some
declarations have to placed down-stream.  The general rule my group uses
is to move declarations into the smallest scope reasonable.  If one keeps
one's functions small, then any declaration strategy should work.  If a 
variable is used through-out a function, continue to declare that variable
at the start of the function.