On Tue, 2007-02-06 at 15:41 +0000, Ford, Mike wrote:
> On 06 February 2007 14:42, Robert Cummings wrote:
>
> > On Tue, 2007-02-06 at 14:08 +0000, Ford, Mike wrote:
> > > On 05 February 2007 17:29, Brian Moon wrote:
> > > > That is why you have coding standards. Our doucment states that
> > > > this should be written as:
> > > >
> > > > $a = array(
> > > > 1 => array('pears', 'apples'),
> > > > 2 => array('juice', 'oranges')
> > > > );
> > > >
> > > > I believe in either syntax, proper formatting of complex data can
> > > > solve the readablity problems.
> > >
> > > Solve, no. Alleviate, yes.
> > >
> > > Given the above, the layout tells me there's some kind of structure
> > > going on, but I still have to actually *read* it to discover
> > > that there are arrays involved (and where they start and end).
> > >
> > > With this version:
> > >
> > > $a = [
> > > 1 => ['pears', 'apples'],
> > > 2 => ['juice', 'oranges']
> > > ];
> > >
> > > I can take one glance and tell there are nested arrays involved, and
> > > what their scopes are -- I'd say my comprehension speed is at least
> > > an order of magnitude faster!
> > >
> > > *That* makes this syntax a no-brainer for me, personally ;-)
> >
> > Ummm, you still had to read it. One "glance" just so happens to
> > involve the brain grokking the content, just like reading.
>
> No, I didn't have to read it. I had to look at it and see its shape, and I
> may or may not have grokked it, but I didn't read it. I still have no idea
> what's actually *in* the arrays, I just know there are arrays and how they're
> structured. My brain, virtually instantaneously, goes, "Oh, brackets, nested
> arrays, 2 short arrays nested in an enclosing outer one!". I don't class
> that as reading, just visual comprehension.
>
> With the long version, my thought process goes more like "Uh, oh,
> indentation, must be some structure here. Can't see any obvious syntactic
> markers, just a mush of characters, so better read it. 'array', uh, ok an
> array, what's in it? explicit index 1 is, oh, 'array' again, ok, so we've got
> nested arrays, presumably this line is a self-contained inner array? let's
> see, 'pears', 'apples', and, oh yes, a proper matching close parenthesis;
> next line similar, explicit index 2, 'juice', 'oranges' and a close
> parenthesis, yup and a proper closing parenthesis for the outer array; right,
> 2 short arrays nested in an outer enclosing one." See how I've actually had
> to read and process *every* *single* *word* *and* *character* on the page?
> See how much slower it was? Now, that's what I call reading.
>
> My brain may be weird and unusual in working this way, but it does so I've
> become accustomed to it! I know it's off the norm in other areas (I have no
> problem keeping a dozen or so PINs in my head and reliably producing the
> right one without hesitation, and I generally remember personal ID, bank
> account and credit card numbers without even trying) so it wouldn't surprise
> me to find I'm way off the curve here too. Just permit me my little foibles,
> eh?
>
> Cheers!
I know how much you want to feel special, but here's the definition of
"read". Your description of how you interpret what you see falls into
this definition:
http://209.161.37.11/dictionary/read
Cheers,
Rob.
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