[Gambas-user] static const?

[Jussi Lahtinen]

First you referred to FOR loop only,
but with case of return command you are talking more generally about loops?
Or so I understand as you are speaking about it's influence to code structure.

Consider this, if you have VERY long iteration and but you are done
with first element of iteration.
Then there is no reason to continue iteration anymore, because it is
just waste of time.

Let's take your example (I did clean it up):

PUBLIC FUNCTION ScanTab(IdCaption AS Integer) AS Integer
Dim a as Integer

 FOR a = 0 TO TabStrip3.Count - 1
     IF TabStrip3[a].Caption = IdCaption THEN
        RETURN TabStrip3.Count
     ENDIF
 NEXT

RETURN 0
END

Now this is not very realistic case with this example, but let's
pretend it is so.
Let's say that this iteration takes 10 second to run trough and there
are 10 items.
When first item is what is needed, then this function takes only 1
second to execute.
If we do not break that loop it will always take 10 seconds.

Just to make sure, you meant it should be like this?

PUBLIC FUNCTION ScanTab(IdCaption AS Integer) AS Integer
Dim a as Integer
Dim b as Integer

 FOR a = 0 TO TabStrip3.Count - 1
     IF TabStrip3[a].Caption = IdCaption THEN
        b = TabStrip3.Count
     ENDIF
 NEXT

RETURN b
END


Also you should notice, that this is normal practice in Basic languages.
And therefore also question of portability.

Jussi



2010/4/14 Fabián Flores Vadell <fabianfloresvadell at ...626...>:
>> Why shouldn't the compiler allow to modify a loop variable? It is sometimes
>> useful.
>
> I'm refering to the loop FOR only. IMHO, WHILE and REPEAT are good
> structures that allow at programmer take absolute control over
> iterations, objective of FOR is iterate all items of a memory
> structure. At least, I think that was of the original design purpose
> (distorted after).
>
> In fact, the need of FOR structure is relative. Any need can be easily
> cover with WHILE and REPEAT.
>
> I don't see the need for break a iteration structure from inside, in
> any way (even break and continue). This would be done from conditional
> input or output of the structure. But I see the consecuences.
>
> May be, the exeption to this is FOR EACH structure.
>
>> Why shouldn't the compiler allow to return from inside a loop? It is perfectly
>> valid to do that.
>
> Why allow break a loop in this way? That often leads to write multiple
> statements  RETURN in a function. That does not comply with the
> theorem of structured programming (that have as one of its premises
> allow only a input point and unique exit). I think that in practice
> this difficults the tests; if necesary to port the code, this could be
> an aditional problem; among other things.
>
>> A bad programmer using some syntax for writing bad code does not necessary
>> imply that that syntax should be forbidden.
>
> I agree, but actually I was thinking that this affect more to those
> who approach programming in an informal way.
>
>
> --
> Fabián Flores Vadell
> www.speedbooksargentina.blogspot.com
>
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