Commentaries - above or below the code?
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Except you can't enclose a block of code with C (/* */) style comments with a C style comment. One of the dumbest things ever.
That depends on the compiler; you can select it on some:
Borland C++ 5.5 for Win32 Copyright (c) 1993, 2000 Borland
Syntax is: BCC32 [ options ] file[s] * = default; -x- = turn switch x off
-3 * 80386 Instructions -4 80486 Instructions
-5 Pentium Instructions -6 Pentium Pro Instructions
-Ax Disable extensions -B Compile via assembly
-C Allow nested comments -Dxxx Define macroAnd anyway, how would the other style help with that?
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That depends on the compiler; you can select it on some:
Borland C++ 5.5 for Win32 Copyright (c) 1993, 2000 Borland
Syntax is: BCC32 [ options ] file[s] * = default; -x- = turn switch x off
-3 * 80386 Instructions -4 80486 Instructions
-5 Pentium Instructions -6 Pentium Pro Instructions
-Ax Disable extensions -B Compile via assembly
-C Allow nested comments -Dxxx Define macroAnd anyway, how would the other style help with that?
I remembered Borland well and used nested comments. VC++ doesn't currently support them (to my knowledge.)
PIEBALDconsult wrote:
And anyway, how would the other style help with that?
Because they can be nested by a /* */ when you want to temporarily block out some code (and with code highlighting, it becomes really obvious what you did.
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Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
In Plain English there is no need for comments.
My gf claims to speak to me in Plain English, but I still can't figure out what she's saying. ;) Marc
I'm not overthinking the problem, I just felt like I needed a small, unimportant, uninteresting rant! - Martin Hart Turner
She's speaking Plain English, and we're listening in Penis.
"WPF has many lovers. It's a veritable porn star!" - Josh Smith
As Braveheart once said, "You can take our freedom but you'll never take our Hobnobs!" - Martin Hughes.
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She's speaking Plain English, and we're listening in Penis.
"WPF has many lovers. It's a veritable porn star!" - Josh Smith
As Braveheart once said, "You can take our freedom but you'll never take our Hobnobs!" - Martin Hughes.
Pete O'Hanlon wrote:
She's speaking Plain English, and we're listening in Penis.
:laugh: :-O Marc
I'm not overthinking the problem, I just felt like I needed a small, unimportant, uninteresting rant! - Martin Hart Turner
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
Everyone, for ever, has placed it above. Let's just stick to the accepted pattern and move along.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
I used to comment my procedures after the procedure name, like:
Function DoIt(thingie as string) as Boolean '*======== '* Purpose: Do it '* Mod1 : and do it now '* Accepts: Thingie (What you're going to do it to) '* Returns: True if did it, else False '* Author : Ian Dennis based on code provided by Steve Smith '* Date : 01/02/2009 '* Mod1 : 02/10/2009... but I've noticed that both VB.Net and C# make use of XML comments, which happen before the procedure name, like:''' <summary> ''' Do It and do it now ''' </summary> ''' <param name="thingie">What you're going to do it to</param> ''' <returns>True if done, else False</returns> Function DoIt(thingie as string) as BooleanAs the XML helps with intellisense, I've started switching to that format -
A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
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I remembered Borland well and used nested comments. VC++ doesn't currently support them (to my knowledge.)
PIEBALDconsult wrote:
And anyway, how would the other style help with that?
Because they can be nested by a /* */ when you want to temporarily block out some code (and with code highlighting, it becomes really obvious what you did.
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But if you had malformed comments that included the open or the close trigger as regular text, that could get ugly fast.
Narf.
Never had that.
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Never had that.
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I was speaking past tense. Henceforth, I will never use comments and therefore never see this. :)
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
As almost everyone has replied previously, generally comments appear above the code or inline. In the world of academia, where real-world applications, programming teams and programmers are sparse to non-existent, you may find lots of things that are different to what really goes out in the real-world. That being said, although I may be wrong, there is one time when I will put a comment after the line of code, and that is in the case of 'else'.
// This explains what will happen when 'condition' is true
if( true )
{
...
}
else
{
// This explains what happens in other cases
}I'm not sure what others do in this case, but then again, it is very specific, only appears inside a function block, and is pretty clear when reading the code.
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
Don't comment that line.... :laugh: Rename the function to InitArrayOfPoints() instead
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
I can see why things like this may be done - the programemr first writes code, then comments it. This may (theoretically) benefit the original programmer in that the code is fresh in his memory, and writing a comment to reflect what it does may "force" him to spot subtle errors. (Of course, same can be said about the traditional "above"-style commenting, but I think the "below"-style makes sense here). I think the "below" style would also benefit a new programmer trying to understand or debug the code - she reads the code, understands (hopefully) it, and then reads the intention - if they dont match, well, there's clearly a problem with the code. How's that for a possible "why?" ?
"Impossible" is just an opinion.
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
At university I was always told that comments should go before the code rather than after. It's the way our brains work, top to bottom, left to right. Comments below the line is just weird, and looks weird. The comment looks far too wordy though. Surely 'initializes points' is enough. If it was me I would do
InitPoints();or maybe justInit();if it was a small application. The function name is enough to guess what it does. -
Generally, comments have always been written above or on the same line as the code. My objection to having comments below the relevant code is that it would be awkward if it was consistant:
Init();
// Init blah de blahis fine, but
private MyClass[] GetMyClassInstances(int count, bool why, string whathaveyou...)
{
... body of long function
}
/// GetMyClass does whatever it does
/// Parameters: whatever they areis just asking for trouble!
No trees were harmed in the sending of this message; however, a significant number of electrons were slightly inconvenienced. This message is made of fully recyclable Zeros and Ones "Rumour has it that if you play Microsoft CDs backwards you will hear Satanic messages.Worse still, is that if you play them forwards they will install Windows"
Hahahaha... Totally agree!!! Comments above or on the same line (if it's a very simple comment)... Edit: And what about useless comments???... Have you ever wrote those???... Like: // Check if a > b if (a > b) { (...) } Hahahaha... It seems too stupid, but I must confess I've done it a couple of times...
modified on Thursday, November 12, 2009 6:49 AM
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
Above...unless you really don't like the person who will be maintaining the code.
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
I have a habit of putting comments to the right of the code.
Init(); // Here we do some thing with other things that do stuff to things
Probably a habit leftover from my assembler days. Which would be just yesterday, in fact.
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A programmingcommenting question. I have been writing commentaries above a related line of code, like this:
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of points
Init();However, I have seen a big sample of code written by one of my professors recently. The commentaries was placed below a line.
Init();
// The Init() method we call here initializes an array of pointsSincerely, I have found it very clear and understable. Did anybody encounter such approach to commenting code? Is it recommended?
Greetings - Jacek
As someone who has only taken a few programming classes, and learned everything else on my own my opinion may be a bit skewed. :omg: I prefer the comments above the code for two reasons. First I have learned a lot from studying other peoples code and having the comments above the code helps me follow along and figure out what they are doing and then how they are doing it. Second in my own code it helps me to go back later and kind of follow the logic of what I am trying to do so I can go back later to see if I missed something. Kinda of a "Do this, like this, then do that, like this . . ." This probably isn't as important for most of you but as someone who doesn't code for a living, but has to code to make their living it can be such a big help. ;) T
