Split big functions?

[Katumi]

Is there a limit for how many statements I should put in the same function? I have a function that takes care of all of the code for a movieclip and it's up in 16 "if statements" allready, should i split it up in more functions or not? I'm a novice, and never coded anything big so it might not even be that many, i don't know

[bwhiting]

could probably have hundreds dare I say thousands...not exactly manageable though.

there is usually a better way to handle things if its getting more complex than a few if statements

[Broadsmile]

It's not much, unless the Class with this function is instantiated thousand of times (e.g. it's a particle). Then You could consider dividing the function to parts executed in different frames, or optimizing the code.

You should care more about loops, like for (var i:int = 0; i<10000; i++) { doSomething() }

[Katumi]

Thank you for the replays

the function is instantiated twice so i guess it should be ok. You are right, i should learn to use loops, though i don't think it would be useful for this particular thing. I'm making a game similar to bomberman, and that function handles the controls for both players.

It's a tilebased game that works like this ( not sure if it's the best solution, but it's what i could work out, appreciate feedback and tips )

When you hit a directional key a walk animation will play that moves the player a certain distance in that direction. Afterwards the player is reset to the "idle" animation (moved back to it's original position) and pixles are added to the x/y position so it looks like you walked a tile and then stopped. Theres a if statement for each directional key, and one for resetting the player to the idle stance when he reaches a certain frame. ( 8 statements * 2 players)

If there is any way to optimize this that you want to share with me i would be very grateful