#NAME

Perl::Critic::Policy::ControlStructures::ProhibitCascadingIfElse - Don't write long "if-elsif-elsif-elsif-elsif...else" chains.

#AFFILIATION

This Policy is part of the core Perl::Critic distribution.

#DESCRIPTION

Long if-elsif chains are hard to digest, especially if they are longer than a single page or screen. If testing for equality, use a hash lookup instead.

if ($condition1) {         #ok
    $foo = 1;
}
elsif ($condition2) {      #ok
    $foo = 2;
}
elsif ($condition3) {      #ok
    $foo = 3;
}
elsif ($condition4) {      #too many!
    $foo = 4;
}
else {                     #ok
    $foo = $default;
}

#CONFIGURATION

This policy can be configured with a maximum number of elsif alternatives to allow. The default is 2. This can be specified via a max_elsif item in the .perlcriticrc file:

[ControlStructures::ProhibitCascadingIfElse]
max_elsif = 3

#AUTHOR

Jeffrey Ryan Thalhammer <jeff@imaginative-software.com>

#COPYRIGHT