--- title: Expression-based Programming for Better Code? - Jason... description: Jason Turner presents the concept of expression-based programming, primarily through C++ examples but applicable to most languages. The core idea is to treat... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/expression-based-programming-for-better-code---jason-turner---ndc-toronto-2026-2luzwezez twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Expression-based Programming for Better Code? - Jason Turner - NDC Toronto 2026 | daily.dev og:description: Jason Turner presents the concept of expression-based programming, primarily through C++ examples but applicable to most languages. The core idea is to treat... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/expression-based-programming-for-better-code---jason-turner---ndc-toronto-2026-2luzwezez og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/2LUZwEZeZ.png og:image:alt: Expression-based Programming for Better Code? - Jason Turner - NDC Toronto 2026 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Expression-based Programming for Better Code? - Jason Turner - NDC Toronto 2026 **[NDC Conferences](https://daily.dev/sources/ndc)** · 60 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Jason Turner presents the concept of expression-based programming, primarily through C++ examples but applicable to most languages. The core idea is to treat imperative control flow statements (if, switch, for loops) as expressions by ensuring every control path returns a value. This approach leverages Return Value Optimization (RVO/NRVO), reduces unnecessary copies and assignments, naturally limits function size, and leads to cleaner code. The talk covers RVO mechanics, tail call elimination, and practical refactoring of a real infix expression evaluator project that resulted in 25 fewer lines of code. Key takeaways include: treat switch/if as expressions with all paths returning, use functions/lambdas for each control statement, avoid break in favor of return, and let the compiler handle inlining decisions. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [C\+\+ Insights Episode 77: RVO, NRVO, std::move EXPLAINED](https://daily.dev/posts/c-insights-episode-77-rvo-nrvo-std-move-explained-jyxuxt35e) · Andreas Fertig · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Control structures in programming languages From goto to algebraic effects](https://daily.dev/posts/control-structures-in-programming-languages-from-goto-to-algebraic-effects-q2pg3wwhr) · Lobsters · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Expression Trees as a Reflection Alternative in C\#: When to Switch](https://daily.dev/posts/expression-trees-as-a-reflection-alternative-in-c-when-to-switch-xi1rcodvd) · We Are .NET · 3 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#c++](https://daily.dev/tags/c++) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/expression-based-programming-for-better-code---jason-turner---ndc-toronto-2026-2luzwezez) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Expression-based Programming for Better Code? - Jason Turner - NDC Toronto 2026","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/expression-based-programming-for-better-code---jason-turner---ndc-toronto-2026-2luzwezez","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/expression-based-programming-for-better-code---jason-turner---ndc-toronto-2026-2luzwezez"},"datePublished":"2026-07-23T10:32:42.397Z","dateModified":"2026-07-23T10:58:31.167Z","description":"Jason Turner presents the concept of expression-based programming, primarily through C++ examples but applicable to most languages. 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