hi. call me stupid but i can't decide which option is better (actually don't call me stupid because it will hurt my feelings and i might cry). and having said that, maybe neither option is better than the other? whatever the answer, i just want some outside input on this because for some reason my brain is getting caught up on it and it's bothering me. should basic data validation come before a function call or be performed within the function? example of validation outside the function: <?php if(is_numeric($this->id) && !empty($this->id)) { $new_number = my_function($this->id); } else { $new_number = false; } ?> example of validation inside the function: <?php function my_function($number) { if(is_numeric($number) && !empty($number)) { // perform some calculations } else { return false; } } $new_number = my_function($this->id) ?> thanks, chris. -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php