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From: Janis Papanagnou <janis_papanagnou+ng@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Fixing a sample from K&R book using cake static analyser
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2024 05:01:07 +0200
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On 24.06.2024 01:04, Kaz Kylheku wrote:
> On 2024-06-23, Anton Shepelev <anton.txt@gmail.moc> wrote:
>> Kaz Kylheku:
>>
>>> What scatter-brained drivel. Watch and learn:
>>>
>>>   struct nlist *install(char *name, char *defn)
>>>   {
>>>     struct nlist *existing = lookup(name);
>>>
>>>     if (existing) {
>>>       return existing;
>>>     } else {
>>
>> When the if-branch ends with a return, the else-branch is
>> redundant, and its body shall be written bare, removing one
>> (useless) level of nesting and indentation.

I was tempted to post the same comment before I noticed that:

> 
> I did that because there are declarations in the else case.

So I at least understand where Kaz was coming from and
abstained from a comment; I think it's a valid view.

> 
> I avoid mising declarations and statements, because I consider
> that a language misfeature.
> 
> In a block structured language, declarations should come first,
> then statements.

This is an age old concept, some programming languages even
require that (e.g. Simula, Pascal, just to name a few). But
starting with C++ I preferred the initialized declarations;
introduce objects where you use them, so that you have sort
of a "local scope"[*].

Janis

[*] Note: By that I mean that your context is kept locally
and compact, I don't mean a block scope, or similar.