Is it more efficient to use a variable or to access the property each time?
So the question might seem a little weird but hear me out. Recently when I posted a question with a script attached some person commented saying something like: "Why are you using the variable plrName instead of just doing plr.Name each time?" Note: local plrName = plr.Name. So I started changing my scripts to reflect what the person said. Today I was thinking and wondered if it was better to use the variable anyway. The reason: Every time you do .Name aren't you accessing a property of player? If so, is it not more effective and efficient to store the string in a variable so you are not accessing it each time? I do think that if you just needed to use the player's name a few times, it might be more efficient to do .Name. However, I am using it many times and want to know what the better method is. Does it even make that big of a difference in performance? Thanks!
2 answers
I'd make direct accesses to the property. If I define a property in a variable, it will not hold a reference to the property, it will instead hold the property's value. It will not update if the value changes, so if you wanted it to change you'd have to keep redefining the variable so it is up to date. When you make a direct access to a property, it will always be up to date.
local name = workspace.Brick.Name print(name) --> Brick workspace.Brick.Name = "Part" print(name) --> Brick print(workspace.Brick.Name) --> Part
Making variables to object references like script.Parent is usually, as not many times does a Parent get reassigned.
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They both work, but the variable one will let you put a shorter amount of code each time, plus you are writing it multiple times.
The point is I think variable is better, -DominusInfinitus (I hope this works out for you)
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