Question

Given the following:

bool isCorrect = theAnswer == 42;

Which is the preferred way of testing false boolean logic in C# (programming in general)?

if (!isCorrect)
  // throw exception

or

if (isCorrect == false)
  // throw exception

The reason I ask is because one of our senior developers at work suggests we should always use the latter approach as it enhances readability and ensures other developers can clearly see the false check; an exclamation mark is easy to miss. I much prefer the former as it’s more concise and readable enough to me.

I understand that this may be a subjective issue so was wondering if there was a concrete preference mentioned in any coding style.

Answer 1

I have seen production code from senior developers containing such code:

if (isCorrect.ToString().Length == 5)

But I’m still using:

if (!isCorrect)

Use what you think is more readable for you, there is no statistics among all developers))