POV: You assign a value and overwrite it immediately TL;DR: Don't Assign and overwrite values Problems Readability Dead Code Inefficiency Solutions Remove the sentences that have no effect. Context The "dead store" code smell refers to a situation in where a variable is assigned a value but is never subsequently read or used in the program. It's a variable that is given a value but that value is never utilized, making the assignment unnecessary and potentially indicative of a mistake or inefficiency in the code. programming This code smell can arise for various reasons, including during refactoring or changes in the program logic over time. Unused variables may clutter the code, making it harder to understand and potentially impacting performance. Sample Code Wrong <?

$lastGoalAuthor = "Lio Messi";
$lastGoalAuthor = "Ángel Di María";
$lastGoalAuthor = "Lio Messi";

// This is stored unconditionally 
// You can optimize it by removing the first two statements
// Since storing in a variable has no side effects Right <?

$lastGoalAuthor = "Lio Messi";
// If you want to keep the last one

$goalAuthors[] = "Lio Messi";
$goalAuthors[] = "Ángel Di María";
$goalAuthors[] = "Lio Messi";
// If you want to keep a list
  
$lastGoalAuthor = firstGoalAutor();
$lastGoalAuthor = secondGoalAutor();
$lastGoalAuthor = thirdGoalAutor();

// This might be valid since functions in
// Object-Oriented Programming might have side effects
// and you cannot remove the first ones 
// Unless you ensure they don't have side effects Detection Automatic [x] Several can find this problem using linters ASTs Exceptions You should not optimize functions with side effects Tags Bloaters Level Beginner [x] AI Assistants Code generated by AIs usually doesn't have this problem. Conclusion Avoiding dead store code helps improve code quality, maintainability, and resource efficiency. It contributes to a more understandable, robust, and bug-free codebase. Regular code reviews, static analysis tools, and good programming practices can aid in identifying and addressing dead store code smells. Related Issues Code Smell 09 - Dead Code Code Smell 54 - Anchor Boats More Info Sonar Source Rule Disclaimer: Code Smells are my . opinion Credits Photo by on Brayan Becerra Unsplash Good programmers use their brains, but good guidelines save us having to think out every case. Francis Glassborow This article is part of the CodeSmell Series— How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code

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