Noob question regarding functions and global variables

[onefish]

I was reading BEST CODING PRACTICES earlier and realized that I had more or less broke most of them. I've just been rearranging this script I'm working on and trying to get a bit closer to "better coding practices" (best is a way off yet :-). I hadn't considered memory used by variables as much of a concern and instead structured my script in favor of lower CPU. I'm still trying to get a full understanding but from what I have read, local variables within a function are released from memory once the script moves outside the function, correct?

That works for most of the error checking I need to do but there are 2x variables that require a bit to build (CPU wise) but they are needed to check for errors before actually using them in the script. I read in the Best Coding Practices that I shouldn't declare global variables from inside a function and I don't want to have to rebuild these couple variables again once the script moves passed error checking.

What is the correct way to manage this? If I declare the global variable with value "" before the function start and then, inside the function, build the correct string and re-declare the global variable does the re-declared string value stick and become available for the next function?

Thanks for your help!

[BrewManNH]

You're confusing the Local and Global variables. A global variable declared inside a function is still global outside of it.

Global $OutsideVariable1 = "Declared", $OutsideVariable2 = "Declared"
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable1 = " & $OutsideVariable1 & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable2 = " & $OutsideVariable2 & @CRLF)
Example()
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable1 = " & $OutsideVariable1 & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable2 = " & $OutsideVariable2 & @CRLF)
;~ ConsoleWrite("$InsideVariable = " & $InsideVariable & @CRLF) ; causes an error if uncommented
Func Example()
    Local $InsideVariable = "Inside"
    $OutsideVariable1 = "Redeclared" ; changes the value of the variable
    Global $OutsideVariable2 ; ignored because it's already declared as a global
    ConsoleWrite("$InsideVariable = " & $InsideVariable & @CRLF)
EndFunc   ;==>Example

 

[onefish]

Thanks BrewManNH, I was just interpreting these statements from the best practice guide, perhaps I have misunderstood them:

"Always declare your global variables in the global scope, not in the functions."
"Declaring Global variables in a Function is never a good idea:"

So, if I understand you right I can declare $g_sSomeLongString = "", before the script function and then re-declare $g_sSomeLongString="abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz" inside the function and the alphabet will be the value of the variable next time it is called up by another function (in the same script of course)?

I don't need the variable before it's tested for errors anyway so there's technically no benefit to declaring it before the error checking function but I was thinking that there must be a reason why the tutorial said not declare global variables inside a function.

[BrewManNH]

IF it's a global variable it should never be declared inside a function because you might reference it in the script before you call the function. If you run Au3Check on your script you might get a warning that the global variable isn't declared too.

Here's a slight modification of the previous script, with the declaration line for $OutsideVariable2 moved inside the function

Global $OutsideVariable1 = "Declared"
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable1 = " & $OutsideVariable1 & @CRLF)
Example()
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable2 = " & $OutsideVariable2 & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable1 = " & $OutsideVariable1 & @CRLF)
ConsoleWrite("$OutsideVariable2 = " & $OutsideVariable2 & @CRLF)
;~ ConsoleWrite("$InsideVariable = " & $InsideVariable & @CRLF) ; causes an error if uncommented
Func Example()
    Local $InsideVariable = "Inside"
    $OutsideVariable1 = "Redeclared" ; changes the value of the variable
    Global $OutsideVariable2 = "declared" ; ignored because it's already declared as a global
    ConsoleWrite("$InsideVariable = " & $InsideVariable & @CRLF)
EndFunc   ;==>Example

While it will work ok doing it that way, you shouldn't declare Globals inside functions just because someone else may be looking at your code and not realize where you declared $OutsideVariable2 and they'd have to search the script to find it. If you declare all your Global variables at the top of the script, it makes it easier to follow.

[czardas]

Choose your wording with care. A global function should seldom need to be redeclared. What you are doing here is reassigning new data to an already existing global variable. Declaring a global variable inside a function is a superfluous action.

[onefish]

Ahh, yes you are correct czardas, reassigning new data.

[AutoBert]

You also can also use ByRef.to passing variables:

Quote

The ByRef keyword indicates that the parameter should be treated as a reference to the original. By default the parameter is copied into a new variable but ByRef links the new variable to the original. Note that not only a named variable can be passed for a ByRef parameter - unnamed temporary variables, such as function return values, may be passed as ByRef parameters as well. However, a literal cannot be passed to a ByRef parameter. ByRef should be used when passing large amounts of data (such as the contents of a file) where copying all the data would impose a significant performance penalty. Another advantage is that passing a parameter ByRef when the function is intended to change the content of the parameter removes any requirement to Return the changed value as the original is directly affected.
from Helpfile (func ... endfunc)