Should You Omit Curly Braces in Your Code?

Omitting Curly Braces: A Bad Practice Despite Compact Syntax

The omission of curly braces, as shown in the example code snippet, has been widely discouraged in programming. While the resulting code may be arguably more compact, it introduces significant potential pitfalls.

Argument for Using Curly Braces:

The primary argument in favor of curly braces lies in the realm of maintainability. Without curly braces, it becomes possible to unintentionally add code between the conditional statement and its intended action. This can lead to errors and confusion, especially if multiple developers are working on the same codebase.

Example of Pitfall:

Consider the following code snippet without curly braces:

if (foo)
    Bar();
    Biz();

If a developer inadvertently comments out Bar():

if (foo)
    // Bar();
    Biz();

The intended execution of Biz() will still occur, potentially resulting in unexpected behavior.

Lower Common Denominator:

While it is important to consider the readability of code for all developers, the argument against curly braces "for the lowest common denominator" is misguided. Code should be written clearly and maintainably, regardless of the experience level of the developer.

Other Arguments:

Beyond maintainability concerns, there are additional reasons to avoid omitting curly braces:

• Behavioral Differences: In some languages, omitting curly braces can affect the execution flow, leading to unexpected behavior.
• Indentation Inconsistencies: Without curly braces, consistent indentation becomes more challenging, making code difficult to read and maintain.
• Debugger Confusion: Debuggers often rely on curly braces to determine the scope of a block, which can cause issues when they are omitted.

Conclusion:

Despite the allure of compactness, the omission of curly braces in conditional statements and loops is considered poor practice. The use of curly braces ensures code maintainability, prevents unexpected behavior, and promotes readability for all developers.

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