EasyC "Modules and Storage"

[jgraber]

Ref this thread:
https://vexforum.com/showthread.php?p=178264#post178264

OP question:

When modules are used multiple times throughout the program, are they downloaded only once and just call upon the source each use or does it download it each time it is used?

EasyC official answer:

When you say modules do you mean functions? If so making functions vs writing new code offers no size advantage.

My experimental results: EasyCv4 for Cortex

1. Take a large existing program, call an existing function 10 times in a row, compile, check size of HEX file (151k)
2. Delete the 10 function calls, replace with 10 copies of the function code inserted in-line, compile, check size of HEX file (157k)

By my parsing of the OP: modules are only downloaded once,
Using modules/subroutines makes your code smaller than the alternative of copying the same code in-line a bunch of times.

[murdomeek]

what if a function has only one line in it? (channel 6 = motor port7)
is it still worth the trouble? (say the function was called a total of 4 times throughout the program)
or does something that small shouldn’t even matter?

[jgraber]

@murdomeek

what if a function has only one line in it? (channel 6 = motor port7) is it still worth the trouble? (say the function was called a total of 4 times throughout the program) or does something that small shouldn’t even matter?

Thats pretty small.
I described my experiemental method for EasyC, so you can answer for yourself.
For RobotC, its even easier, just use the f9 key to see the byte-compiled-code for each C line.
There is (usually) both performance overhead, and size overhead for calling a routine just once. For code clarity, it is sometimes still useful to put code in a function and call it, even if it is used just once. For example, If you have 6 different autonomous routines, you can have a short chooser code that decides which routine to call, then describe each routine in its own block.