Binaryworld - Use function name as a local variable ... [ VB -> Language ]

Many programmers don't realize that it is perfectly legal to use the name of a function inside the Function itself, as if it were a local variable. This trick often lets you avoid the declaration of a temporary variable, and sometimes can speed up the code. Take for example the following code:

Click here to copy the following block

Function Max(arr() As Long) As Long
  Dim res As Long, i As Long
  res = arr(LBound(arr))
  For i = LBound(arr) + 1 To UBound(arr)
    If arr(i) > res Then res = arr(i)
  Next
  Max = res
End Function

You can make it more concise by getting rid of the res variable:

Click here to copy the following block

Function Max(arr() As Long) As Long
  Dim i As Long
  Max = arr(LBound(arr))
  For i = LBound(arr) + 1 To UBound(arr)
    If arr(i) > Max Then Max = arr(i)
  Next
End Function

You can even pass the function name by reference to another routine, or as an argument of an API function.