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Conditionals Should Start on New Lines

Medium
maintainabilityreadability

What is it?​

This practice is triggered when an if statement is placed immediately after a closing brace } of a previous conditional block on the same line. This style can create confusion and ambiguity in code readability.

Why apply it?​

Placing conditionals on new lines enhances readability and maintains clear code structure, minimizing potential errors and misunderstanding for anyone maintaining the code.

How to fix it?​

Ensure that each conditional statement starts on a new line. If conditions are exclusive, use else if. Otherwise, if independent, visually separate them by starting new lines.

Examples​

Example 1:​

Negative​

The negative example places two unrelated conditionals on the same line, leading to potential confusion.

if (isUserLoggedIn) {
    displayDashboard();
} if (hasNotifications) {  // Noncompliant
    showNotifications();
}

Example 2:​

Negative​

The negative example uses two separate if statements without proper elif structure for exclusive conditions.

if (temperature > 30) {
    turnOnCoolingSystem();
} if (temperature < 18) {  // Noncompliant
    activateHeater();
} else {
    maintainCurrentSettings();
}

Example 3:​

Positive​

The positive example separates unrelated conditionals onto new lines, reducing confusion.

if (isUserLoggedIn) {
    displayDashboard();
}

if (hasNotifications) {
    showNotifications();
}

Negative​

The negative example uses poor formatting by including two separate conditionals for unrelated actions on the same line.

if (isStudentEnrolled) {
    grantAccessToMaterial();
} if (hasLectureToday) {  // Noncompliant
    sendLectureReminder();
}

Example 4:​

Positive​

The positive example uses else if for exclusive conditions, indicating clear control flow.

if (temperature > 30) {
    turnOnCoolingSystem();
} else if (temperature < 18) {
    activateHeater();
} else {
    maintainCurrentSettings();
}

Example 5:​

Positive​

The positive example properly aligns conditions meant to be separate by starting each on a new line for unrelated logic.

if (isStudentEnrolled) {
    grantAccessToMaterial();
}

if (hasLectureToday) {
    sendLectureReminder();
}