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From: CDCKAB%EMUVM1.BITNET@cunyvm.cuny.edu ( Karl Brendel)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: Overflow error
Message-ID: <27233@adm.brl.mil>
Date: 18 Jun 91 17:02:47 GMT
Sender: news@adm.brl.mil
Lines: 42

In <2547@cybaswan.UUCP> cslaurie@cybaswan.uucp (Laurie Moseley)
  wrote:

[...deleted...]

>What's all this stuff about GETSTRING; - a parameter-less procedure.
>OK, there may be occasions when you need one, but they are rare in
>these days when one actually re-uses code. I don't believe that it
>is purist to shudder at such constructions, it's simply commonsense.
>You may get away with parameter-less procedures occasionally, but
>all too frequently one of two things will happen. You'll either get
>identifier confusion and manipulate a global unintentionally (and
>have some interesting evenings trying to find that !) or you will
>find that you have written the same procedure 7 times before you
>realise that it IS the same one.
>
>I guess that the point is that if you get into good habits early,
>you have fewer disasters later. To put on the humility hat for a
>moment - am I missing something important here ?

Perhaps.

While I agree with most of the points that you have made so well, I
must speak up in defense of "parameter-less procedures". Procedures
are not only a means to the creation of reusable code, but a means
of organizing source so that it becomes more readable and even (yes)
more maintainable. There are others who also _may_ not be purists
(as if that were always an objectionable state of being <g>) who
would prefer to see every routine fit on one screen or possibly one
sheet of hardcopy. I am not advocating that extreme--but I find that
I can read and maintain code much more easily if routines are
smaller and carry mnemonic names--and I don't feel the need of
forcing each routine to have parameters in order to accomodate that.

Cheers--                        --Karl

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| Karl Brendel                           Centers for Disease Control |
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