Stop the Return Roller-coaster TL;DR: Prevent chaining return statements for better code readability and flow. Problems Confusing flow
Debugging Difficulty
Buried logic
Low readability
Risk of errors
Overuse of IF Sentences Solutions Early return
Clear conditions
Use guard clauses
Replace IFs with Polymorphism Refactorings https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-014-how-to-remove-if?embedable=true Context When you chain multiple return statements within a function, you create a confusing flow. This leads to spaghetti code where understanding the exit points becomes hard. Cascaded returns can hide important logic deep within the function, making it harder to follow and debug. You read through multiple branches to determine when and where the function ends. Sample Code Wrong function discount(price, isMember) {
  if (price < 20) {
    if (isMember) {
      return 5;
    } else {
      return 2;
    }
  } else {
    if (isMember) {
      return 10;
    } else {
      return 0;
    }
  }
} Right class Member {
  discount(price) {
    return price < 20 ? 5 : 10;
    // This ternary is an essential IF
    // And you should NOT remove it
  }
}

class NonMember {
  discount(price) {
    return price < 20 ? 2 : 0;
    // This ternary is an essential IF
    // And you should NOT remove it
  }
}

function discount(price, status) {
  return status.discount(price);
}

const member = new Member();
const nonMember = new NonMember(); Detection [x]Automatic You can spot cascaded returns by looking for multiple nested return statements. If you see deep indentation or many layers of conditions, that's a sign of this code smell. Tags IFs Level [X ] Beginner AI Generation AI generators might create this smell when tasked with solving complex problems quickly. Cascaded returns often happen when the generator handles multiple conditions without optimizing the flow. AI Detection With clear instructions, AI tools can avoid cascaded returns. You can ask the AI to use guard clauses, polymorphism and simplify returns for a cleaner solution. Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Conclusion Avoid cascaded returns to make your code more readable, maintainable, and easier to debug. Stick to early returns and guard clauses to prevent unnecessary complexity. Relations https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxiv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxii More Info https://hackernoon.com/how-to-get-rid-of-annoying-ifs-forever-zuh3zlo?embedable=true Disclaimer Code Smells are my opinion. Credits Photo by Mike Lewis HeadSmart Media on Unsplash Even when a module is old and stable, bad code may be a time bomb and we might defuse it by isolating that code in its own library Adam Tornhill https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true Stop the Return Roller-coaster Stop the Return Roller-coaster TL;DR: Prevent chaining return statements for better code readability and flow. TL;DR: Prevent chaining return statements for better code readability and flow. Problems Confusing flow Debugging Difficulty Buried logic Low readability Risk of errors Overuse of IF Sentences Confusing flow Debugging Difficulty Buried logic Low readability Risk of errors Overuse of IF Sentences Solutions Early return Clear conditions Use guard clauses Replace IFs with Polymorphism Early return Clear conditions Use guard clauses Replace IFs with Polymorphism Polymorphism Refactorings https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-014-how-to-remove-if?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-014-how-to-remove-if?embedable=true Context When you chain multiple return statements within a function, you create a confusing flow. This leads to spaghetti code where understanding the exit points becomes hard. Cascaded returns can hide important logic deep within the function, making it harder to follow and debug. You read through multiple branches to determine when and where the function ends. Sample Code Wrong function discount(price, isMember) {
  if (price < 20) {
    if (isMember) {
      return 5;
    } else {
      return 2;
    }
  } else {
    if (isMember) {
      return 10;
    } else {
      return 0;
    }
  }
} function discount(price, isMember) {
  if (price < 20) {
    if (isMember) {
      return 5;
    } else {
      return 2;
    }
  } else {
    if (isMember) {
      return 10;
    } else {
      return 0;
    }
  }
} Right class Member {
  discount(price) {
    return price < 20 ? 5 : 10;
    // This ternary is an essential IF
    // And you should NOT remove it
  }
}

class NonMember {
  discount(price) {
    return price < 20 ? 2 : 0;
    // This ternary is an essential IF
    // And you should NOT remove it
  }
}

function discount(price, status) {
  return status.discount(price);
}

const member = new Member();
const nonMember = new NonMember(); class Member {
  discount(price) {
    return price < 20 ? 5 : 10;
    // This ternary is an essential IF
    // And you should NOT remove it
  }
}

class NonMember {
  discount(price) {
    return price < 20 ? 2 : 0;
    // This ternary is an essential IF
    // And you should NOT remove it
  }
}

function discount(price, status) {
  return status.discount(price);
}

const member = new Member();
const nonMember = new NonMember(); Detection [x]Automatic [x] Automatic [x] You can spot cascaded returns by looking for multiple nested return statements. If you see deep indentation or many layers of conditions, that's a sign of this code smell. Tags IFs IFs Level [X ] Beginner AI Generation AI generators might create this smell when tasked with solving complex problems quickly. Cascaded returns often happen when the generator handles multiple conditions without optimizing the flow. AI Detection With clear instructions, AI tools can avoid cascaded returns. You can ask the AI to use guard clauses, polymorphism and simplify returns for a cleaner solution. Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions ChatGPT

ChatGPT Claude

Claude Perplexity

Perplexity Copilot

Copilot Gemini

Gemini Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions Without Proper Instructions Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions With Specific Instructions ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Conclusion Avoid cascaded returns to make your code more readable, maintainable, and easier to debug. Stick to early returns and guard clauses to prevent unnecessary complexity. Relations https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxiv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxiv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xvi https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxii More Info https://hackernoon.com/how-to-get-rid-of-annoying-ifs-forever-zuh3zlo?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-get-rid-of-annoying-ifs-forever-zuh3zlo?embedable=true Disclaimer Code Smells are my opinion . opinion Credits Photo by Mike Lewis HeadSmart Media on Unsplash Mike Lewis HeadSmart Media Unsplash Even when a module is old and stable, bad code may be a time bomb and we might defuse it by isolating that code in its own library Even when a module is old and stable, bad code may be a time bomb and we might defuse it by isolating that code in its own library Adam Tornhill Adam Tornhill https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true

Walkthroughs, tutorials, guides, and tips. This story will teach you how to do something new or how to do something better.

Code Smell 275 - Missing Test Wrong Path

Reputation and Trust - Rely on Others

Buy My Book

Code Smell 274 - Cascaded Returns

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

10 Predictions About the Future of Finance

106 Stories To Learn About Clean Code

100 Pieces of Programming Advice from the Book Clean Code by Robert Martin

110 Stories To Learn About Refactoring

3 Things Coding And Prose Writing Have In Common According To Cory House

10 Predictions About the Future of Finance

106 Stories To Learn About Clean Code

100 Pieces of Programming Advice from the Book Clean Code by Robert Martin

110 Stories To Learn About Refactoring

3 Things Coding And Prose Writing Have In Common According To Cory House

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps