Understanding . = ..() in Developer Help

ID:765616
 
May 23 2012, 8:31 am
(See the best response by Stephen001.)
I've read the reference about this, yet I am still not quite sure what it means.

. var (proc)
See also:
return proc
vars (procs)
This is the default return value. If a proc exits without calling return or if no arguments are specified the value of '.' will be returned. The default value of '.' is null.

Example:
mob/Login()
  . = ..()
  view() << "[src] logs in."


So would this be a good situation to use this??
atom/var/time_stamp
        
atom
    var/atom/notifier
    New()
        ..()
        time_stamp = world.time
        
    proc/notify(atom/a)
        if(a != src)
            notifier = a
        
    proc/notification(atom/a)

    Enter(atom/a)
        var/v = ..(a)//this?
        if(notifier)
            notifier.notification(a)
        return v
#1 May 23 2012, 8:41 am
Best response
. is simply the value returned once the end of the procedure is reached, and there is no explicit return statement. So yeah, your Enter() example is a case where using . may prove to be appropriate. Personally, I never use it, as I tend to feel it detracts from the readability of the procedure and obscures what you are returning (logically) when.

By contrast, other people use it quite liberally.
#2 May 23 2012, 10:13 am
I tend to use . only in short procs whose name makes their return value obvious, or in cases where the return value doesn't have a significant meaning.

That example from the reference doesn't make much sense - Login() doesn't have a documented return value.