This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Exceptional Flow
Just as programs have a main flow, they can also have one or more exceptional flows. These are paths of computation that are less important to communicate because they are less-frequently executed, less-frequently changed, or conceptually less important than the main flow. Express the main flow clearly, and these exceptional paths as clearly as possible without obscuring the main flow. Guard clauses and exceptions are two ways of expressing exceptional flows.
Programs are easiest to read if the statements execute one after another. Readers can use comfortable and familiar prose-reading skills to understand the intent of the program. Sometimes, though, there are multiple paths through a program. Expressing all paths equally would result in a bowl of worms, with flags set here and used there and return values with special meanings. Answering the basic question, “What statements are executed?” becomes an exercise in a combination of archaeology and logic. Pick the main flow. Express it clearly. Use exceptions to express other paths.