To Code or Not to Code…

I’ve got a question for my fellow developers.  Imagine you are shown a design for an image gallery.  You’ve never seen a gallery like this in your travels, but your sure if you looked around enough you’d find something that would do the job (maybe with a few changes anyway).  Do you take the time to find something you could use, or do you start fresh and code it yourself?

All programmers learn early on that “re-inventing the wheel” is a waste of time and should be avoided.  I will usually code my own versions of things so I have absolute control over how everything displays.  This is especially helpful when the designer or client comes back and says “hey can we change this thing” or “we would really like this new feature”.  Obviously there are other factors that play into your choice.  Everything from project time to your current mood might change your approach.

So what do you think?  If time or money weren’t factors, would you have a little fun and write the code yourself, or scour the web for something thats almost what you need and modify that till it works?  Post a comment and let me know.