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GO TO

Author

Topic

sql_2k
Starting Member

26 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 07:02:22

Please can any one explain the scenarios where the GO TO can be advisable to use.

Also why GO TO is banned to be used.

harsh_athalye
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

5581 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 07:20:33

I can't think of any situation in which I would advise using GOTO.
There are many more visually correct structured statements than GOTO.

GOTO is bad because it gets messy as the code base expands. Basically it becomes what is called as "spaghetti code" where you can't make head or tail of it. Simple GOTO is not that bad, but any real life solution hardly remains simple over a period of time and believe me, entangled mess of GOTO statements in a big 2000 lines of SP is a nightmare to maintain!

Harsh Athalye
India.
"The IMPOSSIBLE is often UNTRIED"

madhivanan
Premature Yak Congratulator

22864 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 07:45:17

It is mostly used in Front end application. In sql you can use it in place of while loop

ex

declare @i int
set @i=1
test:
print @i
set @i=@i+1
if @i<=100 goto test

Madhivanan

Failing to plan is Planning to fail

jezemine
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

2886 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 08:58:52

i never use it. the only (possibly) reasonable use for it I can think of is if you are religious about having a single point of exit for a routine, like in this pseudocode:

do stuff
if error goto ErrorExit

do other stuff
if error goto ErrorExit

:Exit
print 'succeeded'
return

:ErrorExit
print 'failed'

EDIT: fixed typos

elsasoft.org

TG
Master Smack Fu Yak Hacker

6065 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 09:16:58

GOTO is just another tool in the bag.
GOTO does not create "2000 line spaghetti code", bad developers create "2000 line spaghetti code".

I don't use STUFF very often either but every once in a while it is the right tool for the job.

Be One with the Optimizer
TG

Michael Valentine Jones
Yak DBA Kernel (pronounced Colonel)

7020 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 09:28:59

quote:
Originally posted by jezemine

i never use it. the only (possibly) reasonable use for it I can think of is if you are religious about having a single point of exit for a routine, like in this pseudocode:

do stuff
if error goto ErrorExit

do other stuff
if error goto ErrorExit

:Exit
print 'succeeded'
return

:ErrorExit
print 'failed'

EDIT: fixed typos

elsasoft.org

I use it like this because I code a standard error exit routine in stored procedures that is too many lines of code to duplicate after each error check.

I also use it sometimes to conditionally bypass or exit sections of code.

Start_section_001:

If condition goto Start_section_001_Exit:

…do stuff...

If condition2 goto Start_section_001_Exit:

…do more stuff...

Start_section_001_Exit:

CODO ERGO SUM

sql_2k
Starting Member

26 Posts

Posted - 2008-02-28 : 09:48:36

Thanks all for your reply and advise.

I have used GOTO for handling error in couple of my SPs and I think as suggested by Michael we can use the GOTO in such scenarios.

Though GOTO is not a stuctured approach but definitely it's not bad if not used excessively.

Regards,
Rain.

quote:
Originally posted by TG

GOTO is just another tool in the bag.
GOTO does not create "2000 line spaghetti code", bad developers create "2000 line spaghetti code".

I don't use STUFF very often either but every once in a while it is the right tool for the job.

Be One with the Optimizer
TG

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