What is one benefit of using explicit type annotations in Avaloq Script?

Using explicit type annotations in Avaloq Script provides clarity and helps enforce type checking, which is essential for maintaining code quality and reducing potential errors. By defining the types of variables and function parameters explicitly, developers can ensure that the values assigned to those variables are compatible with the specified types. This clarity improves code readability and helps other developers (or future versions of the same developer) understand the expected types at a glance.

Moreover, enforcing type checking helps catch errors early in the development process by ensuring that operations performed on variables are type-safe, thereby minimizing the chances of runtime errors related to type mismatches. This practice ultimately leads to more robust and maintainable code, as it allows developers to reason about the code without needing to trace the types throughout various parts of the program.

While it's true that type annotations can reduce the likelihood of certain types of errors, they do not eliminate all runtime errors, cannot optimize code automatically, and do not make debugging unnecessary. Thus, understanding the benefits of explicit type annotations, particularly in terms of clarity and type enforcement, is critical for effective coding in Avaloq Script.