Skip to main content

prefer-early-return

added in: 1.3.0
style
⚙️
Pro+

Warns when an if statement can be transformed to an early return.

Early returns help reducing the code nesting level, improving the overall readability.

⚙️ Config​

Set ignore-if-case (default is false) to ignore if statements that have a case block (example).

analysis_options.yaml
dart_code_metrics:
  rules:
    - prefer-early-return:
        ignore-if-case: false

Example​

❌ Bad:

void someFunction() {
  // LINT: Prefer an early return to a conditionally-wrapped block.
  if (_value == 2) {
    print('hello');
    print(_value);
  }
}

✅ Good:

void correct() {
  if (_value != 2) {
    return;
  }

  print('hello');
  print(_value);
}

Example with "ignore-if-case"​

Config
analysis_options.yaml
dart_code_metrics:
  rules:
    - prefer-early-return:
        ignore-if-case: true

✅ Good:

void correct() {
  if (_value case int()) { // Correct, ignored
    print('hello');
  }
}