>I seem to recall a recent thread of number of parameters being too many or not. I am refactoring a routine where a method (called from various parts of the program) will have up to 20 parameters. The reason for so many parameters is that this method is called from different routines. And the method need some but not all values passed (depending on calling routine). My question is, what is the real downside of having so many parameters (if any)?

Many would say to isolate a class and/or a method to one major specific need. When it comes to alternate support, sometimes, a dedicated method for such need might be good to consider.