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From: Tim Ottinger <ottinger@oma.com>
Subject: Re: Software landmines (loops)
Date: 1998/09/01
Message-ID: <35EBF382.6F950BA@oma.com>#1/1
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Date: 1998-09-01T00:00:00+00:00
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Mattias Lundstr�m wrote:
> I just have to butt in here.
> Why would this code become harder to test?
> 
> If we take a simple example (more or less C++)

I added a few comments:

> 1. Flag solution
> while( ... && retval == OK ) {
> ...
> if( ... )
>   retval = NOT_OK;
> }
> return retval;  /* SET BREAKPOINT HERE */
> 
> vs
> 
> 2. Multiple exits
> while( ... ) {
> ...
> if( ... )
>   return NOT_OK;  /* SET BREAKPOINT HERE */
> }
> return OK; /* AND ANOTHER ONE HERE */

In one case, I set a single breakpoint and can inspect
the value to see what happened. In the second, I set
more than one breakpoint, or the function will return
quietly. That can be good or bad. 

The single-return gives more options than the multiple-
return version. You can watchpoint the variable, or
you can set the break on return and inspect the variable,
or set the breaks where the return value is set.