What is the most common error in a .Net application?

[Gary Wheeler]

My approach is to strike first.

Software Zen: delete this;

[Rob Graham]

It's similar to an uninitialized pointer in C++. It's just the address of an object (which if null is an invalid address), nothing exists to implement the method.

[PJ Arends]

Quick! Knock on wood. Now that you mentioned it out in the open, the bug reports will come swarming in.

---

You may be right I may be crazy -- Billy Joel -- Within you lies the power for good - Use it!

[Rama Krishna Vavilala]

You should program in Objective C where it is legal to invoke methods on nulls.

id v = nil;
NSString* valueAsString = [v description];

modified on Monday, December 15, 2008 2:58 PM

[Rob Graham]

Would his code have been any less broken?

[Super Lloyd]

ObjectiveC is a beast of its own... It's even legal to call method which don't exist! Who knows, a Forward or a Category might even intercept them?

A train station is where the train stops. A bus station is where the bus stops. On my desk, I have a work station.... _________________________________________________________ My programs never have bugs, they just develop random features.

[Rama Krishna Vavilala]

It Depends:).

[Rama Krishna Vavilala]

Super Lloyd wrote:

It's even legal to call method which don't exist!

Yes and this feature has its own strengths (and weaknesses).

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

in C++, the target function actually gets called and so long as no reference is made to instance variables in that function, no null reference will occur due to the null 'this' (obviously, something else could be null). So, a somewhat common tactic is to test for "this == null" or "this != null".

[TheGreatAndPowerfulOz]

add a static extension method

string string.ToString(string target)
{
return (target ?? "").ToString();
}

or simply code your ToString calls as:

(target ?? "").ToString()

[dan sh]

334,000 google search results for the error message(with quotes). It surely is the most popular

C isn't that hard: void (*(*f[])())() defines f as an array of unspecified size, of pointers to functions that return pointers to functions that return void "Always program as if the person who will be maintaining your program is a violent psychopath that knows where you live." - Martin Golding

[jith iii]

well,grammer may be wrong,but I meant the same. It will instantly give error if you try to set null to an integer,right? why double standard to string where you can set it to nothing but not otherwise? :) (Just consider this as an emotional outburst. I don't really want to excuse people forgetting a null check)

[Tomz_KV]

I've been using (target==null?"":target).ToString( :) ) so far. ?? is a nicer.

TOMZ_KV

[MidwestLimey]

ToddHileHoffer wrote:

It has been live for six weeks now without one bug or code change required

You do realize no one is using it, don't you?

Bar fomos edo pariyart gedeem, agreo eo dranem abal edyero eyrem kalm kareore

[ToddHileHoffer]

MidwestLimey wrote:

You do realize no one is using it, don't you?

That is what I thought at first. After the second day of it being in production I had to check the database to see what was up. I hadn't gotten any emails from the error handler. I thought either the error handler is busted or they were not using it.

I didn't get any requirements for the signature

[Nemanja Trifunovic]

Super Lloyd wrote:

ObjectiveC is a beast of its own... It's even legal to call method which don't exist!

ObjectiveC is an attempt to turn C into SmallTalk.

Programming Blog utf8-cpp

[Nemanja Trifunovic]

Rama Krishna Vavilala wrote:

in Objective C where it is legal to invoke methods on nulls

It is legal in C++ too, and in some weird cases can be even safe :)

Programming Blog utf8-cpp

[Oakman]

ToddHileHoffer wrote:

The company used the application in test for an entire month before we rolled it out. It has been live for six weeks now without one bug or code change required.

If the pay is decent and they don't require you to become a manager to get a raise, you have probably died and gone to Paradise.

Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface

[ToddHileHoffer]

Oakman wrote:

If the pay is decent and they don't require you to become a manager to get a raise, you have probably died and gone to Paradise.

It is not paradise, but it is a damn good job. I feel very lucky.

I didn't get any requirements for the signature

[Henry Minute]

Turning on the computer. At least, today it is for me. I'm having total brain fade, can hardly remember how to type, never mind code.:)

Henry Minute Never read Medical books. You could die of a misprint. - Mark Twain