Question

Which is a better practice, generally speaking, and why? Under what circumstances would you change your mind?

function foo1(int x) {
  int result;
  if (x > 5) {
    result = 2;
  } else {
    result = 7;
  }
  return result;
}

OR

function foo2(int x) {
  if (x > 5) {
    return 2;
  } else {
    return 7;
  }
}

Answer 1

I prefer the second form where you just return immediately. The only considerations I’m aware of are as follows.
Benefits:

• Shorter code
• Easier to follow
• Fewer variables (part of easier to follow, I guess)

Risks:

• May skip clean-up processing that occurs after the return

I don’t worry about the risk much because that risk kind of exists anyway if you inadvertently nest the clean-up code inside a conditional block of some sort as you try to manage the various paths of execution retaining the return value until the end. I think the best bet is to keep the code simpler and easier to follow to avoid that kind of risk. I think that risk is also significantly helped by the coding structures available in modern languages such as “Using” and “Try/Finally”. I try to always use those for clean-up tasks now instead of simply putting the code at the end of the block.

I do make an exception, however, when other code wants to access the pending return value as a variable anyway (to add it to a cache for example, so that the result can be returned more quickly next time).