[wp-hackers] echo and return

[lowmagnet]

On Tue, Jul 27, 2004 at 06:26:23PM +0200, Brian Meidell Andersen wrote:
> Stephen Minutillo wrote:
> 
> Just to reiterate the point and be clear:
> I am not talking about parallel functions, but rather serial functions.
> In my mind, parallel functions would be to duplicate the content of the 
> function, which would be double maintenance.
> With serial functions, the echo function simply calls the returning 
> function and echoes it. So there's still only one function body to take 
> care of.

I previously responded to this, but my mail system lost the message by sending it as the wrong person. I like the idea of nested functions personally, but there is little difference between an echo function and a getter function, and that difference could be taken care of just as easily in the following way:

echo_the_date();

becomes

echo the_date();

So I don't think the echo function makes sense if we could have one function instead that handles both cases. Also, to have a function called 'the_date' that echoes and 'get_the_date' that gets is also odd. why give a longer name to the base 'getter' function, and leave of the mechanical implications of the 'printer' function?

I really think that one function per template action would be safer, and easier to understand.

-eli