At work we are completing a rather large CGI application. The main program is only a couple hundred lines long (it mostly directs traffic) and all of the work is done with about a dozen modules. We use the term module loosely as each of these modules is pretty much a program of it's own.

Session variables are read from the database in the main program and again in each module. I don't have any previous experience handling sessions so I don't know if this is the norm. I have written some of the more recent modules so they don't use any session variables themselves. In these I am passing in every variable I will need when I call the module. This list has gotten as large as 30 variables for some modules, and it would be a lot larger for other modules.

I feel that passing in a large number of variables makes the code cleaner. The other programmer feels that re-creating the variables will slow down the application. Obviously we have differing views as to the merit of each approach. Since we are just about finished this version and getting ready to start the next version we want to come an agreement as to the best solution.

I know I am being rather vague but my questions are these:
1) Is it better to use sessions in modules like this?
2) Is it better to pass in every variable under the sun?
3) Will one approach make the application faster/slower than the other?
4) Do you feel that either/both of these approaches is just plain bad?

Any tips and pointers will be appreciated.

mr greywolf

In reply to Use globals or pass around everything under the sun? by greywolf

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