To function or not to function

[dagon]

I guess i've been playing with php for a little over 6 months - recently i encountered rouge variables from one script effecting another.

Should all my scripts be functions to encapsulate the variables?

Is there a speed diff?

Can one unset all the variable in a script (I know how to do them indervidullay with UNSET) ?

[nightstar]

Unset is only useful is the objects you plan on destroying with it are taking up a lot of memory. You could conceivably use it to destroy every variable in your script, if for example, every variable was contained within one object. You could then add a destroy function to the object, and then order it to destroy itself when you're finished.

$newObject->destroy();

You can get creative with this. Remember, ALL objects and variables are destroyed anyway once the script you're running is finished. So, for most scripts in existence, the variables and objects within them only live for less than a second 🙂

[Jesteruk]

Yep, you should use functions. Even for little things.

Splitting your code up into functions will not slow your scripts down, don't worry about that. If you see a patern emerging in your scripts, say you are writing out the same HTML tables over and over, just shove it in a function and call it when you need it.

Speed really isn't an issue with most PHP scripts, they're not really that large most times, so don't get stuck on worrying about performance.

[PyroX]

besides being clean, and easy to update, it makes it easier to expand functionality later, and to add new features.

[Jesteruk]

Also if you want to change how a snippet of code works, you just cchange the function, rather than going through changing every instance of the code.

I use functions wherever I can, though I've never really got into writing my own classes.