Is GOTO in PHP evil? [closed]

Answer 1

I can't believe nobody posted this :)

Granted, PHP is not compiled... Maybe the raptor will chase you on every visit to your website?

Answer 2

GOTO usually is evil because it lets you build unstructured code. With the usual loops you can build good structured code easy to follow because it is structured.

When you have non structured code jumping from here to there, you have just found the evil coming from the GOTO statement. Almost always is better to avoid it. Maybe once every 100.000 lines there is a place where a GOTO sentence simplifies A LOT the code thus is not evil but if you are unsure, then you should avoid the GOTO.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: Well, just to add my own opinion here, there are other instructions that allow you to create unstructured code and that are not considered evil when I think they should be.

For example a return in middle of a function is a GOTO to the end of it so I avoid them and use only one return in each function just at its end.

Other languages like Vb.Net (maybe others too) allow to do Exit For, Exit While, breaks and things like these that also unstructure the code and I think should be avoid.

Answer 3

Bad structuring of code is evil, regardless the control structure you use.

I personally prefer a goto that makes clear the flow of the program to "control variables" and nested "if" that will indirectly just cause the same branch in the code.

So, just write the two versions (with and without GOTO) and see which one it's easier to comprehend. Then the choice is easy.

Answer 4

sometimes (I mean in 0.01% of cases) it is useful, like when you have a long long script and you want to test some blocks. but never keep it in your final script

Answer 5

Unless you are programming in assembler, GOTO should always be treated the same way as the life vest of the airplanes: it is good to have them available, but if you need to use them it means that you are in big trouble.