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From: wsmith@uiucdcsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.lang
Subject: Re: compound statements
Message-ID: <8900039@uiucdcsb>
Date: Thu, 10-Jul-86 17:28:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcsb.8900039
Posted: Thu Jul 10 17:28:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jul-86 06:18:10 EDT
References: <5281@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Lines: 24
Nf-ID: #R:topaz.RUTGERS.EDU:5281:uiucdcsb:8900039:000:1031
Nf-From: uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU!wsmith    Jul 10 16:28:00 1986


Another argument for forcing the brackets on a function:
(derived from experience in programming in pascal...)

You have your fancy, one statement function/procedure.   it's three
screenfuls and you just found out that the fancy 1 statement function
now is a two statement function.  Blech!  Now you have to find the
beginning of the procedure, the end of the procedure and add a begin/end
pair at the ends.    The related problem that exists currently is in
pascal:

Semicolons....    You have your one statement part of the `then' and
then the obligatory semicolon since there is a following statement.  Now
the fancy    if then ;   becomes   if then ; else ;  (oops... where's that
semicolon belong?)

The general principle being violated here is that local changes to the
program ought (at least in my book) only have local changes to the text of
the code.   needing to add the begin/end or play with semicolons are non-
local and thus are annoying and a source of errors.

Bill Smith
ihnp4!uiucdcs!wsmith
wsmith@b.cs.uiuc.edu