Is it a bad practice to use an if-statement without curly braces?
coding-style, curly-braces, if-statement
Solution
The problem with the first version is that if you go back and add a second statement to the if or else clauses without remembering to add the curly braces, your code will break in unexpected and amusing ways.
Maintainability-wise, it's always smarter to use the second form.
EDIT: Ned points this out in the comments, but it's worth linking to here, too, I think. This is not just some ivory-tower hypothetical bullshit: https://www.imperialviolet.org/2014/02/22/applebug.html
Problem
I've seen code like this: ``` if(statement) do this; else do this; ``` However, I think this is more readable: ``` if(statement){ do this; }else{ do this; } ``` Since both methods work, is this simply a matter of preference which to use or would one way be recommended over the other?