Groovy: Variable Declarition ... before or after variable?

[david-guild]

Looking for Best Practices ...

This is in a script listener:

// Grab Event
thisEvent = event as IssueLinkCreatedEvent

or 

// Grab Event
IssueLinkCreatedEvent thisEvent = event

I like the first style better as it's easier to "scan" the code, but I see the second one used a lot more.

I don't know if the first way is "old / outdated" ... or "new / cutting edge".  Could not find anything on this.

[PD Sheehan · Accepted solution]

I don't know about best/old/new.

But the first case would allot thisEvent to be re-assigned to a different type later if necessary as it's not strongly typed.

But the second will forever be an IssueLinkCreatedEvent and can't hold anything else.

Example:

def test = "abc" as String
test = 1 as Long
assert test instanceof Long

vs

String test = "abc"
test = 1 as Long //this will be coherced into a string, other types may fail 
assert test instanceof String

[david-guild]

Thank you.

I was not aware of a "strongly" versus "loosely" typed concept.

I have not done a lot of work in strongly typed, fully object oriented languages.  I can see how this makes sense with Java's propensity for overloaded methods.