Re: Procedure Problem

[pcunnane@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

     "Perhaps as a side effect this function modifies SomeVar in some way."
     
     I think that therein lies the compromise.  There are those (like me) 
     who dislike the extra argument; and there are those (like Jim) who 
     worry about ill-behaved procedures.
     
     The answer is to make sure that routines, especially general-purpose 
     routines, are well-behaved.  In a nutshell: no side-effects.  A 
     procedure should do what its name says it does, and pretty much 
     nothing else.  The example of the routine that accepts a string and 
     modifies it (by centering it) is a good example:  the string 
     modification is not a side effect, it is the whole point of the 
     routine.
     
     Like anything else: good consistent design techniques go a long way.
     
     ____________
     Paul Cunnane
     The Learning Company
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