Except this is not a standards issue. It is a problem that can be solved in one sentence only if the programmer groks code construction to begin with. A lot of

Except this is not a standards issue. It is a problem that can be solved in one sentence only if the programmer groks code construction to begin with. A lot of otherwise smart programmers - some of them very experienced - do not understand this stuff and do not develop good programming habits of the Code Complete kind. I probably exaggerated a little in my previous comment. Still, I always test for code construction "instincts" when I am interviewing a candidate. I may give the candidate a take home assignment - nothing difficult, as I really only want to see what the code looks like. Or I may ask the candidate to bring a sample of great code, and ask him why he thinks it is great. But I will always test for good habits, as they are too often taken for granted.