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  4. Use single bool and bit flags for other bools.

Use single bool and bit flags for other bools.

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  • L Lost User

    PIEBALDconsult wrote:

    Regardless of concerns of "performance", grouping a bunch of related flags into an enumeration is a good design choice.

    The question implies unrelated booleans, as a compression technique.

    Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

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    PIEBALDconsult
    wrote on last edited by
    #17

    Does it?

    L 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • B Bernhard Hiller

      As stated above, use an enum for your bools. Something like:

      [Flags]
      public enum MyBools : int
      {
      MyBool1 = 1,
      MyBool2 = 2,
      MyBool3 = 4,
      MyBool4 = 8,
      ...
      MyBool10 = 512,
      }
      public bool HasBool(int sumOfBools, MyBools specificBool)
      {
      return ((sumOfBools & specificBool) > 0);
      }

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      PIEBALDconsult
      wrote on last edited by
      #18

      Bernhard Hiller wrote:

      return ((sumOfBools & specificBool) > 0);

      As a general test I prefer to test against the provided value (specificBool) rather than 0, because the specificBool may have multiple bits set. Plus, in .net 4 (if you use that), there is the built-in Enum.HasFlag Method.

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      • S SledgeHammer01

        Well... I'd have to say you do not provide us enough information. If your bools are related and used internally, yeah, I would group them into a [Flags] type enum. I wouldn't expose an enum from object though. That just doesn't seem like good practice to me. I would have 10 public properties that wrap a [Flags] type enum though. Thats about the same thing as packing them with the binary operators. If you are calling native C++ code, you have to use the binary operators, so there is no choice there, but I'd still have the class expose 10 public properties and wrap all that internally. If its all managed code, well... again it depends on your situation. If you have 10 bools vs. a [Flags] type enum, then the enum is going to be more efficient in transfering on the WIRE... who cares about memory usage... not important at this level. Maybe if you are working on a CE device with limited resources, it may be, but on a PC? you are wasting your time thinking about things like this.

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        PIEBALDconsult
        wrote on last edited by
        #19

        SledgeHammer01 wrote:

        I wouldn't expose an enum from object though ... I would have 10 public properties

        I have either one public property or use a parameter (for a method or the constructor as appropriate) to pass in an Options enumerated value, as with passing options to a Regex.

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        • L Lost User

          PIEBALDconsult wrote:

          Regardless of concerns of "performance", grouping a bunch of related flags into an enumeration is a good design choice.

          The question implies unrelated booleans, as a compression technique.

          Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

          L Offline
          L Offline
          Lost User
          wrote on last edited by
          #20

          Personally I don't think his question implies that much, so I'd like to hear the OP's explanation.. not that it looks like he's going to give one.

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          • V V K 2

            Hi, I have 10 bool variables in a class. Instead of creating 10 bools, how to create a single bool and bit flags for remaining 9 bool variables inorder to efficiently use memory. Can I have a code snippet in C# for this.. Thanks in Advance.

            B Offline
            B Offline
            BobJanova
            wrote on last edited by
            #21

            If you want this to cover a flag uint from interop or something else where you don't want an enum, you can do something like

            public struct Flags {
            public uint Value;

            public bool this[int i] {
            get { return 1 & (Value >> i); }
            set { uint mask = 1 << i; Value = (Value & ~mask) | (value ? 1 : 0) << i; }
            }
            }

            ... to provide indexed access to a set of flags.

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            • P PIEBALDconsult

              Does it?

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #22

              OP wrote:

              I have 10 bool variables in a class. Instead of creating 10 bools, how to create a single bool and bit flags for remaining 9 bool variables inorder to efficiently use memory.

              It does.

              Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

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              • P PIEBALDconsult

                SledgeHammer01 wrote:

                I wouldn't expose an enum from object though ... I would have 10 public properties

                I have either one public property or use a parameter (for a method or the constructor as appropriate) to pass in an Options enumerated value, as with passing options to a Regex.

                S Offline
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                SledgeHammer01
                wrote on last edited by
                #23

                Bad idea (sometimes). Property grids (i.e. in designers) don't play nicely with flag enums. Also, flag enums don't play nicely with data binding if you are using WPF or even Winforms.

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                • L Lost User

                  OP wrote:

                  I have 10 bool variables in a class. Instead of creating 10 bools, how to create a single bool and bit flags for remaining 9 bool variables inorder to efficiently use memory.

                  It does.

                  Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

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                  PIEBALDconsult
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #24

                  Does not -- they may very wel be related.

                  L 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • B BobJanova

                    If you want this to cover a flag uint from interop or something else where you don't want an enum, you can do something like

                    public struct Flags {
                    public uint Value;

                    public bool this[int i] {
                    get { return 1 & (Value >> i); }
                    set { uint mask = 1 << i; Value = (Value & ~mask) | (value ? 1 : 0) << i; }
                    }
                    }

                    ... to provide indexed access to a set of flags.

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                    P Offline
                    PIEBALDconsult
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #25

                    But I think that can only test one bit at a time.

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                    • S SledgeHammer01

                      Bad idea (sometimes). Property grids (i.e. in designers) don't play nicely with flag enums. Also, flag enums don't play nicely with data binding if you are using WPF or even Winforms.

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                      P Offline
                      PIEBALDconsult
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #26

                      SledgeHammer01 wrote:

                      flag enums don't play nicely with ... Winforms.

                      I haven't had that problem.

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                      • P PIEBALDconsult

                        Does not -- they may very wel be related.

                        L Offline
                        L Offline
                        Lost User
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #27

                        The fact that they "may" be related doesn't create a relation.

                        Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss:

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