Re: Unnecessary New Closures

[David Manura <dm.lua@...>]

Javier Guerra Giraldez <javier at guerrag.com> writes:
> just a bit nicer:
> 
> do
>    local function comparison (a,b)
>      -- whatever
>    end
> 
>    function mysort ()
>      table sort (sometable, comparison)
>    end
> end

I tend to disagree with this practice.  Such minimization of scope leads to
something that doesn't even look like a function:

local mysort; do
  local function comparison (a,b)
    -- whatever
  end
  function mysort ()
    table.sort (sometable, comparison)
  end
end

when it just can be written as

local function helper_compare(a,b)
  -- whatever
end
local function mysort ()
  table.sort (sometable, helper_compare)
end

or

local helper_compare
local function mysort ()
  helper_compare = helper_compare or function(a,b)
    -- whatever
  end
  table.sort (sometable, helper_compare)
end

You may follow the convention that anything prefixed by helper_ should only be
used by the thing following it (a type of apps hungarian notation).