Spaces and Scripting ?

[PartyHead 10]

I probably should know this by now but here goes.

I've been learning scripting and mission making now since the start of Arma 2 although, I've bought every arma game since OFP. Anyway when I started learning how to script I first played a lot of popular missions to find out which scriptwriters to learn from, and to cut a long story short I learn t to script a particular way which automatically became my normal style and I've never really thought anymore about it.

What I'm referring to are spaces within script code. I've notice a lot of inconsistency between scriptwriters scripts in relation to spaces and I'm wondering what really is the best practice, if any, when it comes to spaces.

Do spaces have any performance impact on code ?

For example is it best to write code this way with spaces ?

[color="#FF0000"]eg.1[/color]
private ["_a", "_b", "_c", "_d"];

[color="#FF0000"]eg.2[/color]
for [{_i = 1}, {_i < (count _array0)}, {_i = _i + 1}] do {};

or this way without spaces ?

[color="#FF0000"]eg.1[/color]
private ["_a","_b","_c","_d"];

[color="#FF0000"]eg.2[/color]
for[{_i=1},{_i<(count _array0)},{_i=_i+1}]do{};

or doesn't it matter, is it just a case of personal preference ?

Sorry if this is a silly question or has been asked before, I couldn't find anything specifically about it.

Edited August 15, 2013 by PartyHead

[bangabob 41]

As a rule you should have spaces since the script may mistake elements as a variable name.

Also if you use notepad++ spaces between variables help with the colour coding.

[cuel 25]

All tabs, spaces, linebreaks and comments are removed when the script is compiled, so no.

Filesize might increase by tiny amounts, nothing to worry about.

As for what is best - use whatever feels good and is easy to read.

[PartyHead 10]

As a rule you should have spaces since the script may mistake elements as a variable name.

Also if you use notepad++ spaces between variables help with the colour coding.

Thanks for your reply BangaBob, I do use notepad++ mate and I've always used spaces like in my first examples.

All tabs, spaces, linebreaks and comments are removed when the script is compiled, so no.

Filesize might increase by tiny amounts, nothing to worry about.

As for what is best - use whatever feels good and is easy to read.

Thanks cuel for those answers, I didn't realize that about tabs, spaces, linebreaks and comments being removed when the script is compiled so i guess it doesn't really matter after all.

I'll keep doing what I've always done then.

Thanks.

[Taxen0 15]

the "proper" way is to use spaces, at least in many other programming languages.

But in the end it does not matter and it is up to the programmer and what he thinks looks best.

[Coding 12]

script your scripts like you want them to look like.

but do it consequently!

This is the same discussion like you want to buy a red or a green tshirt. It doesnt matter. some prefer this, others that.

like {

}

and

{

}