First off, thank you for the great discussion and information. Here is a little summary of what I learned here (and aren't summaries what we all want anyway?).
Using flags in your code (Flag : a variable who's sole purpose in existing is to be checked later on in your script for a particular value.) is just fine with the following caveats:
- Try to avoid overuse of flags because it can make your code hard to read and maintain.
- Name your flags in a way that indicates what they are measuring.
- Never eat yellow snow.
- Keep the location where the flag is set and the location where the flag is used close together.
Again, thank you for the clarifications,
oakbox