Using if...else... or just if... to determine what is returned

Question

Which is better?

function test($val = 'a') {
    if($val == 'a') {
        return true;
    }
    return false;
}

or

function test($val = 'a') {
    if($val == 'a') {
        return true;
    } else {
        return false;
    }
}

Effectively, they do the same thing. If $val isn't 'a', the function returns false. Just personal preference?

Answer 1

They are the same. However, for this case, I prefer:

function test($val = 'a') {
    return ($val == 'a');
}

Answer 2

I think it comes down to how the comparison "feels" to you. I'd use the first if it seemed like $val being "a" was a special case, and usually the function returned false. I'd use the second if it felt more like it was 50/50 which way it would go.