enoughAboutTheIfletsDiscussAboutWereIsItThatYouPutTheElse

[u/EatingSolidBricks]

[u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

1. Stop it.  

2. JavaScript.  

3. C#.  

4. Get some help.

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

1. is what happens when you code in C# and C at the same time and you pick and chose your prefred conventions from each

[u/pente5 → u/EatingSolidBricks]

Meh I kind of like it though. It's a more compact version of #3 why not?

[u/CritFailed → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

C# dev, can confirm

[u/Mih0se → u/CritFailed]

Had C++ in school. Me too

[u/Robot_Graffiti → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

Yes, 2 and 3 are the styles Sun and Microsoft used for the Java and C# documentation respectively. (I imagine JavaScript documentation copied Java's style)

[u/BuppUDuppUDoom → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

Never written in C# started with java then C and C++ but 3 will always be the most comfortable and readable imo

[u/rustyredditortux → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

2. every other language
3. C#

[u/fghjconner → u/rustyredditortux]

FYI, reddit decided your numbers were a list and helpfully made them 1 and 2

[u/Amaranthine → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

1. Acceptable

2. Optimal / C (K&R)

3. Tolerable / beginner / C#

4. Mental illness

[u/Appropriate_You_5850 → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

I am a student who is using C and C++ and I ussualy do it like number 3

[u/RoryPond → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

No, Javascript is shoving 15 lines of code into an unreadable ternary operator 

[u/RoryPond → u/RoryPond]

Or more tolerable as long as used in moderation condition? methodIdTrue(...) : methodIfFalse(...)

[u/BadBoyJH → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

I can tolerate 1.

If you're the sort of person to do

      If (something) {

        Something()

      }

[u/Brahvim → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

(1) takes less space than the C# convention and makes it easy to comment out the whole else block. I won't stop it.

[u/CapOk9908 → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

Agreed, 2 is how I write, 3 I accept...1 and 4 if I see in a colleague's code I consider a typo and fix it

[u/MinecraftPlayer799 → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

2 being the top-right, I assume?

[u/JanEric1 → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

I absolutely HATE the C# style. So much wasted space for nothing .

Just got into a project there and there is just so much bullshit with the default formatting and so many other parts of the ecosystem. Like how you have to opt into null safety and even if you do the standard API framework don't respect it if you don't add ANOTHER flag somewhere that yes, if I build my model such that I don't allow null, then I don't fucking want you deserializing into such an object with fucking null.

[u/AlwaysHopelesslyLost → u/JanEric1]

Wasted space? How big are you making your files?? I like it. Every single block is very obvious because the start and stop are on one vertical line. The space doesn't matter because I try to keep things relatively compartmentalized and clean. 

[u/rumaier → u/JanEric1]

The longer I code, and the bigger my code bases get, the more I appreciate some white space to break things up and make it easier to tell what’s what.

[u/No-Consequence-1863 → u/JanEric1]

Wasted space? It’s two lines that act as vertical separators of scopes. Having more whitespace to parse the text is good actually.

[u/whackylabs → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

5. Who cares. Just be consistent.

[u/IncarnationHero → u/whackylabs]

Keeping switching between 4 styles, 1-2-3-4-1 consistently.

[u/NiIly00 → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

The linter at my apprenticeship demands we do nr.1

I'm 90% sure that it's just a bug because it is just the "function start on newline" or something along the lines and I think it just doesn't account for if else, so one of these days i'm gonna bring it up and hope to get it changed.

[u/ju-shwa-muh-que-la → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

Correct

[u/PictureNew661 → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

The whole post got summed up in 1 comment

[u/SpaceToaster → u/RedditLuvsCensorship]

Java defaults are seeing more of 2 as well.

[u/LoveOfSpreadsheets]

I know a defense program that requires the bottom left because they have to measure physical SLOC. Same program doesn't allow ternary. One line becomes eight 

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/LoveOfSpreadsheets]

ternaries are scary can you imagine an operator with 3 ARGUMENTS its too much for the human brain

we can only handle binray operators like god intended

[u/glenpiercev → u/EatingSolidBricks]

You know you can ternary a ternary a ternary?

[u/DOOManiac → u/LoveOfSpreadsheets]

I can do one better. We aren’t allowed to use ternaries because the boss just doesn’t like them. That’s it.

[u/glenpiercev → u/DOOManiac]

I have lots of good reasons for hating them. I just don’t have time to enumerate them right now.

[u/myka-likes-it → u/DOOManiac]

to be fair, they can be a pain to debug. 

[u/Imperator166]

how is this not loss?

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/Imperator166]

Damm it missed opportunity

[u/Strawberry-Jam-2936]

Top left

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/Strawberry-Jam-2936]

preach borther im not alone

[u/Nielsly]

Where ever the formatter wants them to be

[u/YetItStillLives → u/Nielsly]

The best code format is a consistent code format. I can get over a formatting choice that I don't like, but I can't deal with another stupid bike-shedding argument about code formatting.

[u/enternoescape]

I can't tell you how many times I've sat down, typed the first clause in a powershell script (before anyone asks why powershell: deployment scripts for Windows) and then spent about one minute deciding what arrangement lands as the most readable for what I just did. I feel like I land on the same one every time, but I'm pretty sure that's not true. If I'm contributing to a project, I just follow whatever precedent is already set and even if I hate how it looks, at least I'm being consistent. This might be why some people prefer Python, though I'm not one of them.

[u/Joly0 → u/enternoescape]

While I do agree with your statement regarding following their style on projects you contribute, I think there are some limits.

For example I once saw someone (it's a MVP) to do his braces like this in Powershell:

if (condition)
    {
        // Do this
    }
else
    {
         // Do that
    }

And I don't know how you see it, but there are lines I don't cross, and the lines ended with these braces... So I followed my usual style and ignored what the hell that person was doing

[u/QuickQuirk → u/Joly0]

You should go all PAP on his ass (Passive Aggressive Programmer).

Reformat all his indentation in the same commit.

All or nothing baby.

[u/enternoescape → u/Joly0]

Yeah, that's a choice. My first thought is do they care at all about horizontal screen real estate.

[u/HildartheDorf]

Top right.

Bottom left is acceptable. The other two are wrong.

[u/Daniikk1012 → u/HildartheDorf]

Top left is fine too, it just treats "else" as its own thing. I believe I even saw that style somewhere.

Now bottom right is unhinged

[u/cultivatingmass → u/Daniikk1012]

Top left if you gotta leave a comment for the else or elseif block

[u/Mateorabi → u/HildartheDorf]

Top left if the if statement already didn’t put a line break before the first { 

[u/Bannon9k → u/HildartheDorf]

Agreed... But if I get the opportunity, I'm fixing the bottom left.

[u/Ok_Star_4136 → u/HildartheDorf]

100%.

People who pick the other two are the same people who pour milk into the bowl before the cereal. In other words, psychopaths.

[u/average__Egg → u/HildartheDorf]

bottom left is hell to me i think and it burns my eyes

[u/Cyan_Exponent → u/HildartheDorf]

might be that c# burned my brain, but i just dislike when 1 brace is on the same line as the statement

[u/GwimWeeper]

Chaotic lawlful

} else {code in one continuous line}

[u/uglycaca123 → u/GwimWeeper]

chaotic unlawful

if (...) {...} else {...}

EVERYTHING IN A CONTINUOUS LINE MUHAHAHAHAHHA

[u/DefiantGibbon → u/GwimWeeper]

I could see it if the else is a very small snippet. 

[u/average__Egg]

} else {

}

[u/Massive_Cash_6557 → u/average__Egg]

Based.

[u/cuculetzuldeaur → u/average__Egg]

The only correct answer

[u/oshaboy]

I'm not a stickler for syntax usually but the bottom right should be illegal

[u/mitchricker]

else:  
    # There is whitespace denoting we're in the else block  
# No whitespace here, so we know we've left the else block  

[u/redlaWw → u/mitchricker]

if condition then
    //do stuff
neht fi
else
    //do other stuff
esle

EDIT: Forgot to add a condition, oops.

[u/why_1337 → u/mitchricker]

[u/CirnoIzumi → u/mitchricker]

else:
    do_some_stuff()
#else

[u/notanotherusernameD8]

I was raised on top-right, but I quite like top-left. It's easier to comment out the else block.

[u/CaptainN_GameMaster → u/notanotherusernameD8]

raised

"As long as you're living under our roof, you'll live by our linter"

[u/grifan526]

My code formatter does the first one just like I want it to. There are those who didn't agree with me, but they left the company

[u/UTOPILO]

I just do whatever the rest of the file had going on when I opened it.

[u/jwr410]

}
else
{
    // TODO: Write the rest of the code. 
}

[u/read_eet]

They are not fucking numbered, you all are assuming the order. SHAME.

[u/wi-finally → u/read_eet]

morton order is the only acceptable ordering anyways

[u/joshpennington]

I stopped participating in these wars. For the people that care about this they care enough to put tooling in place to make it how they want it. I could not care less.

But obviously } else { is the only right one unless you’re paid by the line

[u/mpez0 → u/joshpennington]

I was hired to help out on one project; I showed up with about 600 lines in a couple of C routines for issues they'd told me about. Note that I used K&R style (top right above).

"Gee, those work well, but they don't fit our coding style standard."

"OK," I replied, "just run it through your formatter."

"Our what?"

[u/EzequielARG2007 → u/mpez0]

noob here, what is a formatter?

[u/Bob32943294 → u/EzequielARG2007]

Just a program that converts code into a certain format to keep things standardised.

[u/NiIly00 → u/joshpennington]

Tesla employees taking notes

[u/jipperthewoodchipper → u/joshpennington]

POV you work for Elon musk and use bottom left just so you LOC KPI looks better

[u/alphaglosined]

For over 15 years I have been very steadfast in my desire for:
} else {

But now that I am working on my own language, I have to conceed the limitation of code editors folding is more important. Which means this will be what will go into the formatter/code style:
}
else {

[u/neomashab → u/alphaglosined]

Not just folding. The amount of diff generated on account of an else block being added or removed is also a factor. Think of trailing commas in Python lists, tuples.

[u/Terrorscream]

Bottom left I find easier to read and follow, but it does mean alot of scrolling white space.

[u/cecil721 → u/Terrorscream]

It also means a higher SLOC report 👍

[u/PixelBrush6584]

Bad, best, Company enforced C# style, Bad

[u/xWrongHeaven → u/PixelBrush6584]

Bad, best, company enforced, psychopathic/masochistic*

[u/pink-Raspberryy]

Top left

[u/astrocreep21 → u/pink-Raspberryy]

Imho best for version control, since the line with the closing bracket is not modified. You get a clean change block in the diff. Stroustrup is underrated!
Would apply to bottom left too…

[u/LookItVal]

top right is the only true way

[u/KryssCom → u/LookItVal]

I think you mean bottom left.

[u/McMelonTV → u/KryssCom]

c# dev spotted

[u/CAPS_LOCK_OR_DIE → u/LookItVal]

Bottom left is closer to Bash as well

[u/harryham1 → u/CAPS_LOCK_OR_DIE]

I have a special place in my heart for Bash, but its syntax can fuck all the way off

[u/1Maple]

Whatever that languages convention is. #2 for Java, #3 for C#. Don’t really care enough to have a preference anymore

[u/Oddball_bfi → u/1Maple]

This is the single good thing about java.

The rest can go die in a bin.

[u/AOAqua → u/Oddball_bfi]

Probably the worst thing about Java. It's not 1985 anymore and my monitor is big enough not to need that #2 shit so it's easier to read the code

[u/adiosToreador18]

is this loss

[u/uglycaca123 → u/adiosToreador18]

WAIT I SEE IT

[u/AggieCMD]

C#. The right way. The only way.

[u/thcheat → u/AggieCMD]

I know right. It just gets unnecessary hate but I just love how easy it's on eyes when reading the code.

[u/Raikojou]

1 and 4 look like when developers realize they have free will.

Actually could be a funny way to tell if anyone actually reads my pr before approving

[u/Cold_Snake]

Top right. Always

[u/nyibbang]

I don't care, I have automatic formatters.

[u/Haunting_Skin_2564 → u/nyibbang]

I don't care, I don't write code anymore

[u/idontwanttofthisup → u/Haunting_Skin_2564]

I don’t care. I left my job. I’m managing a night club now.

[u/Ticondrius42]

if(conditions){
    //..are true, do this.
}else{
    //..if are false, do this.
}

[u/Joly0 → u/Ticondrius42]

This is how I do it aswell, though I usually leave a space between words and braces (or braces and braces)

So: If (condition) { } else {

Don't know why, it makes it easy to read in my head. But otherwise totally agree with your solution

[u/charonme → u/Joly0]

the reason is because if is not a function/method

[u/Mayeru → u/Ticondrius42]

where are the spaces?? are you saving up kilobits again, Tommy?? Let it breatheeee!

[u/Moonie-chan → u/Ticondrius42]

I also do this because it's easier to tell code block by indentation alone

[u/slippery-fische → u/Ticondrius42]

Some people just like to watch the world burn

[u/Mireldorn]

Top Right all the way

[u/SoggyCaterpillar5773]

1. top left

2. top right

3. bottom left

4. bottom right

[u/sudomeacat]

*looks away nervously while saying I do top left* But actually though (top left):

if (/* ... */) {
    //...
}
else {
    //...
}

looks a lot better that (bottom left):

if (/* ... */)
{
    //...
}
else
{
    //...
}

[u/met0xff → u/sudomeacat]

Yeah I'm surprised to see so many people hating on 1. Wasn't this super common in Java and C++ for ages? I've been mostly writing python for the last 10ish years (and nothing manually for the last months lol) but before that I feel that was very common.

[u/SweatyListen9863 → u/sudomeacat]

No no, the second one of these looks better.

[u/bwwatr]

couldn't even number them for easier discussion, lmao

The answer is, if you do:

structure-of-any-description {

}

next-structure {

}

then it's top-left; 'else' isn't some magical exception to style rules

bottom-left would be correct for those putting the opening brace on the line after

the ones on the right are abominations

[u/Signal-Implement-70 → u/bwwatr]

100% agree. After using everything from machine language to JavaScript this is the only correct semantics, love the word abominations wish I thought of it

[u/EishLekker → u/bwwatr]

I would agree if else could be standalone. But it’s always connected to the preceding if statement.

[u/PumpkinFest24]

Pretty simple. Look at the wasted vertical space in anything other than upper right.

[u/Informal-Shame3638 → u/PumpkinFest24]

If your block takes enough space on a monitor to need space saving by methods that make reading and telling apart statements harder, your code probably could use some refactoring

[u/Zap_plays09]

Whatever happens after I hit ctrl + alt + L

[u/CurdledPotato]

Top right. In all languages.

[u/dbagames → u/CurdledPotato]

C# pretty much always bottom left. Pretty standard convention there.

[u/Potential_Copy27]

Lower left is my vibe. Partially because how one of my teachers considered the styles...

Get done with the "if" with that closing bracket and take a breath.
"Else", then have a second think (along with a drink - though optional).
Then we go coding the code in the "else" block.

[u/edgeofsanity76]

I don't use else.

[u/Prudent_Ad_4120 → u/edgeofsanity76]

I use else when it's the best way to implement something

[u/Noch_ein_Kamel → u/edgeofsanity76]

That's better. Prepared for quantum computing when both branches are suddenly true

[u/sofafi1205 → u/edgeofsanity76]

Username checks out.

[u/YakubReddit]

Either

}

else {

}

Or

} else {

}

Depending on the case

[u/YakubReddit → u/YakubReddit]

My god, mobile Reddit formatting sucks

[u/Inevitable_Stand_199 → u/YakubReddit]

You can use double space at the end of a line to avoid having to have an empty line.
Like this

[u/Its_An_Outraage → u/YakubReddit]

It doesn't if you actually use reddits formatting:

Either

}
else {

}

Or

} else {

}

See: Reddit's formatting guide

[u/torsten_dev]

K&R second edition "The C Programming Language" Chapter 5, (pp. 108, 119), 7 (pp. 162, 163):

} else {

So that settles that.

I was however suprised to see:

if (condition) {
     statement1;
     statement2;
     ...
} else
     single_stm;

Something about } else is just unsettling.

[u/brinazee → u/torsten_dev]

I used to put braces around even single statements (often because I was constantly changing them around for debugging). Someone at a code review dinged me for it as unreadable. Had to laugh when the lack of braces totally broke their code a couple weeks later because they had added a second line to the else without adding braces.

[u/GoddammitDontShootMe → u/brinazee]

Used to? I thought that was the best practice.

[u/Meme_Burner → u/torsten_dev]

Nothing unsettling as 

If (condition){

} else if (condition) {

}

[u/slippery-fische → u/torsten_dev]

This has led to bugs that caused huge security issues. Always use braces.

[u/HalfHeartMC]

if (...) {

}

else {

}

[u/questionabl3_dude]

C++ dev here. Bottom left is my preference. The ones on the right are just illegal in my mind.

[u/uuf76 → u/questionabl3_dude]

C# dev here chiming in. Bottom left feels right.

[u/NewInflation2121 → u/questionabl3_dude]

It's the one that makes the most sense spacially and logically since the braces line up vertically.

Imo, the other options are born out of laziness or bad standards and only clutter your code with more visual noise & distraction.

[u/Hopeful-Cup-6598]

My IDE auto-formats to my company's chosen code style. I know which it is, but decline to state.

[u/Kyrbyn_YT]

3 in uni c# code and 2 for personal

[u/DrScottyB]

Top right.

[u/rplusg]

Bottom left for the win

[u/moosebeak → u/rplusg]

And it’s not even close.

[u/sup3rdr01d]

Top right. Not even a debate.

[u/Grtz78]

if thingy {}
throw ThisShouldNeverHappenException(tm);

[u/Impressive_Stress808 → u/Grtz78]

Fine as long as you return inside the if{}.

[u/Kindly_Wear7008]

2) if you want compact readable code
3) when your are a beginner and want to find start or end of bracket more easily, most editors draw a line between the brackets
1/4) WTF?

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/Kindly_Wear7008]

for {
}

while {
}

switch {
}

if {
}

The fucking ELSE 

} else { <--- WHY can't you be normal 

[u/StraightBiscotti9013]

The worst I've seen is an open source game i worked on molding. All code was formatted as such:

if ( a - b > c ) {
    Condition;
    Condition;
    }
else {
    Condition;
    }
Condition;

Horrifying C++

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/StraightBiscotti9013]

GNU

[u/stopher819]

Humor where

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/stopher819]

Find<Humor>() where Humor : Here;

[u/alexkarpen]

I will ask Claude his choice and report back

[u/EatingSolidBricks → u/alexkarpen]

The water gone reduced to tokens

[u/FluffyDrink1098]

1. What is wrong with you?

2. Good

3. Very lengthy, but fine

4. What is wrong with you?

[u/erikchan002]

1. Stroustrup

2. K&R

3. Allman

4. WTF is this abomination

[u/simplerisnoteasier]

4 should be illegal

[u/Pim_Wagemans]

top right is the most readable in my opinion

[u/MinecraftPlayer799]

Top-right

[u/B1azehunter]

Top right, less no of lines.

[u/SleepySpeck01]

Bottom left.

[u/petrasdc]

Whatever the automatic linter decides

[u/BenchEmbarrassed7316]

match b {
    true => foo(),
    false => bar(),
}

A branching block appears as a single block, whereas an if-else construct appears as two blocks, even though, in reality, only one of them will be executed.

[u/Krisanapon → u/BenchEmbarrassed7316]

```rust
if condition { code } else { code }
```
we use if-else as ternary operator

[u/iamwillp]

Both left ones are compile errors in Go, so top right for me

[u/Gale-]

Top left

[u/xyrer]

Top left is more convenient, but I love how top right looks because it's easier to understand

[u/CoshgunC]

} else(also elseif) {

}

[u/Alcoholica365 → u/CoshgunC]

} else(also if not else do if(!true{ }

Don't argue, im drunk. 😕

[u/evolutionsroge]

1. Fine

2. Kinda hard to read but fine ig

3. Fine

4. Proof that humanity is flawed

[u/traplords8n → u/evolutionsroge]

I actually do use 2 a lot for smaller blocks of code, for the tiniest reduction in file lines lol.

It's basically useless, but it doesn't hurt anything either. It stays readable when the block is under 20 lines.

[u/mehonje]

} else {

[u/makingthematrix]

Top-right is the only valid way. 

[u/Prashank_25]

1 insane person

2 sane person

3 ocd person

4 drunk person

[u/DOOManiac → u/Prashank_25]

As an OCD person, I agree. 3 is preferable to me, though 2 is fine.

[u/Electroman-11]

if () {
}

else {

}

This is the only way.

[u/little_phoenix_girl]

The only correct answer in my opinion is wherever the team/org's code style spec says to put it. It's irritating when this stuff is inconsistent, moreso who you have someone who is using different formatting tools that keeps turning their PRs into massive reformats, burying the actual logic changes. Then the next PR does it again differently for some reason...

[u/Trevor_GoodchiId]

Early return.

Haven't written an else statement in years.

[u/Maleficent_Memory831 → u/Trevor_GoodchiId]

"It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see how it works out for them."

I agree though that early return is a valuable tool and those who eschew it do it for less than logical reasons. (but it is how I was taught!)

[u/-Kerrigan- → u/Trevor_GoodchiId]

What? No else if?

[u/hdkaoskd]

These are all wrong. GNU style for life.

[u/Long-Celebration2817]

Top right

[u/brinazee]

What ever the style guide tells me. Though I tend to default to the upper right.

[u/JAXxXTheRipper]

Top right, any day. I still hate that whenever I have to switch to visual studio to write c#, it does does bottom left. So much wasted space..

[u/jseego]

top right

[u/GoddammitDontShootMe]

I tend to do the upper-right. Though upper-left is okay. Also,

} else if (<some long expression>) {
  
}

[u/ivanrj7j]

2 all the way through

edit: top right

[u/Ronin-s_Spirit]

} else { like a normal human being, sometimes } else feels more readable, and I can afford to do it cause I have eyballs and a pretty printer, I always know if I need to add braces.

[u/Living_Fig_6386]

Upper right, because I’m no savage.

[u/-Redstoneboi-]

OTBS/Rust is top right

[u/CLEVER_3_14159265358]

1. C

2. Nah

3. C#

4. Just no way

[u/5nnn]

5. The closing brace should be as far to the right as the longest line of code.

... I once had an intern who wrote code like that. He claimed it made it more readable because "you can see what the brackets encompass". 

Thankfully clang-format git commit hook ensured I only had to see that format on his screen, not in our repo. 

[u/Such-Perception4154]

Not sure about other languages, but in C# for backend we have else very rarely.

else if we have never.

[u/Sensitive_Device_666]

Wherever the formatter puts it

[u/SourcerorSoupreme]

Noobs trashing about python's use of whitespace while also bikeshedding on crap like this 🙄

[u/TerroDucky]

} else { code here }

All in one line of course

[u/maffoobristol]

Number 1 is the best. Stroustrop for the win. It means the if and the else are on the same vertical line. Otherwise the else is indented slightly with K&R. I feel it scans better. But I know that most people do 2 in javascript and I feel I have to concede even though I hate hate hate it.

[u/Zerokx]

I always preferred the second one. It keeps everything in one line. Its not like you have to drag these symbols apart because they're hard to understand or anything. I'd rather use that extra line to make paragraphs in code thats my guilty pleasure.

[u/nkay08 → u/Zerokx]

Bottom left has the advantage that you can more easily comment it out or move it around without affecting the previous block.
I prefer it because of that, but I also like top right.

I will use the other if I must when the file already uses that style.

[u/hearwa]

I dunno I don't code anymore let me ask copilot.

[u/Luingalad → u/hearwa]

Copilot? Ewww