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  • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

    Yep. My favorite:

    // Declare variables

    #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

    R Offline
    R Offline
    R Giskard Reventlov
    wrote on last edited by
    #8

    I prefer:

    #region Private Members
    // This should always start at 101 or kittens will die!
    int thingy = 101;
    #endregion

    :)

    R 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

      I hate code comments that say what the code is doing but not why.

      /* check for null */
      if (someObj != null) {...}

      Really? Argh!

      #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

      M Offline
      M Offline
      Mark_Wallace
      wrote on last edited by
      #9

      Well, you've got a lot of "developer" responses, so far, so how about I add a "someone who has to explain to your customers' developers why your developers are such @rseholes" response. You're absolutely right. Because there are a thousand reasons for checking for null values, there are a thousand things that could be added to expand on what the statement does, e.g.

      /* check for null, because if someObj is null, then bad data has been received from DataReceiver */
      if (someObj != null) {...}

      /* check for null because if someObj is not null, at this point, then something has gone wrong. Look for errs 132-189*/
      if (someObj != null) {...}

      /* check for null because if someObj is null, then someSubObj is defective*/
      if (someObj != null) {...}

      There's almost never an excuse for a line of doc that says exactly the same as the line of code. If the who/why/where/when/what is not needed, then the doc is not needed. If the who/why/where/when/what is needed, then the doc is needed, and just keep in mind that some other poor b*st*rd has to try and make your program useful.

      I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

      M 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • M Mark_Wallace

        Well, you've got a lot of "developer" responses, so far, so how about I add a "someone who has to explain to your customers' developers why your developers are such @rseholes" response. You're absolutely right. Because there are a thousand reasons for checking for null values, there are a thousand things that could be added to expand on what the statement does, e.g.

        /* check for null, because if someObj is null, then bad data has been received from DataReceiver */
        if (someObj != null) {...}

        /* check for null because if someObj is not null, at this point, then something has gone wrong. Look for errs 132-189*/
        if (someObj != null) {...}

        /* check for null because if someObj is null, then someSubObj is defective*/
        if (someObj != null) {...}

        There's almost never an excuse for a line of doc that says exactly the same as the line of code. If the who/why/where/when/what is not needed, then the doc is not needed. If the who/why/where/when/what is needed, then the doc is needed, and just keep in mind that some other poor b*st*rd has to try and make your program useful.

        I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

        M Offline
        M Offline
        Member 12345678
        wrote on last edited by
        #10

        I am one of the other poor b*st*rd now. The original developers think their code is so beautiful and wonderful that no comment is needed to explain. They think I should ask if I do not understand. It will take longer than my lifetime to finish project this way.

        F M 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • R R Giskard Reventlov

          I prefer:

          #region Private Members
          // This should always start at 101 or kittens will die!
          int thingy = 101;
          #endregion

          :)

          R Offline
          R Offline
          Rajeev Jayaram
          wrote on last edited by
          #11

          :laugh: :laugh:

          My blog - www.FaceLaptop.com

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

            I hate code comments that say what the code is doing but not why.

            /* check for null */
            if (someObj != null) {...}

            Really? Argh!

            #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

            Sander RosselS Offline
            Sander RosselS Offline
            Sander Rossel
            wrote on last edited by
            #12

            I really dislike code comments in general[^] X| Currently, I have a coworker who writes comments like:

            // Declare a variable.
            int i;
            // Assign the variable.
            i = 42;

            He doesn't do it all the time, but such comments are common practice. Learn to friggin code so you don't have to remind yourself of how to declare and assign a friggin variable! :mad:

            Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

            Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

            Regards, Sander

            Z S 2 Replies Last reply
            0
            • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

              I hate code comments that say what the code is doing but not why.

              /* check for null */
              if (someObj != null) {...}

              Really? Argh!

              #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

              L Offline
              L Offline
              Lost User
              wrote on last edited by
              #13

              Not everybody can be a master of the obvious. :-)

              The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
              This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
              "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                I hate code comments that say what the code is doing but not why.

                /* check for null */
                if (someObj != null) {...}

                Really? Argh!

                #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                B Offline
                B Offline
                BillWoodruff
                wrote on last edited by
                #14

                Well, gosh ... if I only had a Baht (about 2.86 US cents) for every time I've written: if(whatever != null) ... However, is it, perhaps, useful to distinguish two scenarios: 1. checking for null when there's no need to throw an error if the whatever is null, and, the code context makes it absolutely clear what's going on. 2. checking for null when you absolutely should throw an error on null I recognize there are "purists" who would like to see you throw errors in all cases. And, how about this: disclaimer: _this is an experiment I did a while ago; I am not indirectly expressing the opinion that anyone should use something like th_is:

                public static class ErrorExtensions
                {
                // non-generic version of 'IsNonNull omitted here

                 // note: uses optional compiler directive 'ErrorsToConsole
                
                 public static bool IsNonNull<T>(this T refobj, bool throwerror = false, string message = null)
                where T : class
                {
                    if (refobj == null)
                    {
                        string mess = string.Format("instance of {0} is null: {1}",typeof(T).Name, message);
                
                        if (throwerror)
                        {
                            throw new NullReferenceException(mess);
                        }
                        else
                        {
                

                #if ErrorsToConsole
                Console.WriteLine(mess);
                #endif
                }

                        return false;
                    }
                
                    return true;
                }
                

                }

                «There is a spectrum, from "clearly desirable behaviour," to "possibly dodgy behavior that still makes some sense," to "clearly undesirable behavior." We try to make the latter into warnings or, better, errors. But stuff that is in the middle category you don’t want to restrict unless there is a clear way to work around it.» Eric Lippert, May 14, 2008

                S 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                  I hate code comments that say what the code is doing but not why.

                  /* check for null */
                  if (someObj != null) {...}

                  Really? Argh!

                  #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                  F Offline
                  F Offline
                  F ES Sitecore
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #15

                  I prefer this style of coding

                  try
                  {
                  someObj.SomeMethod();
                  }
                  catch (Exception)
                  {
                  Response.Redirect("http://www.codeproject.com/search.aspx?q=Object+reference+not+set+to+an+instance+of+an+object&sbo=qa");
                  }

                  C L 2 Replies Last reply
                  0
                  • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                    TheGreatAndPowerfulOz wrote:

                    what the code is doing but not why

                    Because "check for null so we don't get a NullReferenceException when we access the properties of someObj" would be so much better! :rolleyes:


                    "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    Slacker007
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #16

                    LMAO at this one. +24

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • F F ES Sitecore

                      I prefer this style of coding

                      try
                      {
                      someObj.SomeMethod();
                      }
                      catch (Exception)
                      {
                      Response.Redirect("http://www.codeproject.com/search.aspx?q=Object+reference+not+set+to+an+instance+of+an+object&sbo=qa");
                      }

                      C Offline
                      C Offline
                      charlieg
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #17

                      Here we go :). After so many years of coding, I've learned to cull back on the wordiness of the code. Still, I have a few wonder brothers who "read code so fluently" that things get opaque pretty quick. I try to stay away from the "//declare variables" nonsense and lean toward higher level explanations of code blocks. One thing that *will* set me off is when people don't use version control. So, you'll get interspersed lines of code that are commented out with new lines of code that fix a problem. One leaves this in the source in case if you need to remember what you changed. FFS, use "show changes".

                      Charlie Gilley Do not forget Jacques Hamel "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783 “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759

                      D 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • B BillWoodruff

                        Well, gosh ... if I only had a Baht (about 2.86 US cents) for every time I've written: if(whatever != null) ... However, is it, perhaps, useful to distinguish two scenarios: 1. checking for null when there's no need to throw an error if the whatever is null, and, the code context makes it absolutely clear what's going on. 2. checking for null when you absolutely should throw an error on null I recognize there are "purists" who would like to see you throw errors in all cases. And, how about this: disclaimer: _this is an experiment I did a while ago; I am not indirectly expressing the opinion that anyone should use something like th_is:

                        public static class ErrorExtensions
                        {
                        // non-generic version of 'IsNonNull omitted here

                         // note: uses optional compiler directive 'ErrorsToConsole
                        
                         public static bool IsNonNull<T>(this T refobj, bool throwerror = false, string message = null)
                        where T : class
                        {
                            if (refobj == null)
                            {
                                string mess = string.Format("instance of {0} is null: {1}",typeof(T).Name, message);
                        
                                if (throwerror)
                                {
                                    throw new NullReferenceException(mess);
                                }
                                else
                                {
                        

                        #if ErrorsToConsole
                        Console.WriteLine(mess);
                        #endif
                        }

                                return false;
                            }
                        
                            return true;
                        }
                        

                        }

                        «There is a spectrum, from "clearly desirable behaviour," to "possibly dodgy behavior that still makes some sense," to "clearly undesirable behavior." We try to make the latter into warnings or, better, errors. But stuff that is in the middle category you don’t want to restrict unless there is a clear way to work around it.» Eric Lippert, May 14, 2008

                        S Offline
                        S Offline
                        Slacker007
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #18

                        IsNotNull? Also, you should not be purposely throwing an error from an extension method, as part of some divine plan. Just check if it is null or not, that is all. Leave the implementation to the calling party - this helps with code reuse (I may not want to do a console.writeline). My 2 unsolicited cents on your post. :-D

                        L B 2 Replies Last reply
                        0
                        • S Slacker007

                          IsNotNull? Also, you should not be purposely throwing an error from an extension method, as part of some divine plan. Just check if it is null or not, that is all. Leave the implementation to the calling party - this helps with code reuse (I may not want to do a console.writeline). My 2 unsolicited cents on your post. :-D

                          L Offline
                          L Offline
                          Lost User
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #19

                          Christ! Can't you read? He wants 2.86 cents.

                          Michael Martin Australia "I controlled my laughter and simple said "No,I am very busy,so I can't write any code for you". The moment they heard this all the smiling face turned into a sad looking face and one of them farted. So I had to leave the place as soon as possible." - Mr.Prakash One Fine Saturday. 24/04/2004

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • F F ES Sitecore

                            I prefer this style of coding

                            try
                            {
                            someObj.SomeMethod();
                            }
                            catch (Exception)
                            {
                            Response.Redirect("http://www.codeproject.com/search.aspx?q=Object+reference+not+set+to+an+instance+of+an+object&sbo=qa");
                            }

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

                            Why try to penalize and educate the end user for the sins of a poor coder?

                            L 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                              I hate code comments that say what the code is doing but not why.

                              /* check for null */
                              if (someObj != null) {...}

                              Really? Argh!

                              #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                              R Offline
                              R Offline
                              realJSOP
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #21

                              What's more disturbing is that C# *still* doesn't allow this:

                              if (!someObj) {...}

                              which would preclude them from having to come up with the bullsh|t "?" operator.

                              ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                              -----
                              You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                              -----
                              When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                              L Richard DeemingR N K 4 Replies Last reply
                              0
                              • Sander RosselS Sander Rossel

                                I really dislike code comments in general[^] X| Currently, I have a coworker who writes comments like:

                                // Declare a variable.
                                int i;
                                // Assign the variable.
                                i = 42;

                                He doesn't do it all the time, but such comments are common practice. Learn to friggin code so you don't have to remind yourself of how to declare and assign a friggin variable! :mad:

                                Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

                                Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

                                Regards, Sander

                                Z Offline
                                Z Offline
                                ZurdoDev
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #22

                                Sander Rossel wrote:

                                Currently, I have a coworker who writes comments like:

                                Perhaps he used to teach first level coding in high school. :-\

                                There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

                                Sander RosselS 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • L Lost User

                                  Why try to penalize and educate the end user for the sins of a poor coder?

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #23

                                  Because the next person the poor program sees after the end user is Jesus. Edit: :-)

                                  The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
                                  This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
                                  "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • C charlieg

                                    Here we go :). After so many years of coding, I've learned to cull back on the wordiness of the code. Still, I have a few wonder brothers who "read code so fluently" that things get opaque pretty quick. I try to stay away from the "//declare variables" nonsense and lean toward higher level explanations of code blocks. One thing that *will* set me off is when people don't use version control. So, you'll get interspersed lines of code that are commented out with new lines of code that fix a problem. One leaves this in the source in case if you need to remember what you changed. FFS, use "show changes".

                                    Charlie Gilley Do not forget Jacques Hamel "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." B. Franklin, 1783 “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759

                                    D Offline
                                    D Offline
                                    Dan Neely
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #24

                                    There're times when the sort of commented old code crap can be useful. Like when you were given a source dump for an ancient MFC app that the customer wants an update to and find yourself going "WTF this pile of code looks like it was obsolete even when MFC was new. C with classes every once in a while is a revolting way to write C++." for weeks on end, finding that one file that never got cleaned up and is full of commented code to create X-Windows GUI components can be enlightening in an "OH. The original version of this dinosaur was apparently a C/Slowlaris application before being ported to the then new and shiny NT4 and MFC in the late 90s." sort of way. :sigh:

                                    Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • R realJSOP

                                      What's more disturbing is that C# *still* doesn't allow this:

                                      if (!someObj) {...}

                                      which would preclude them from having to come up with the bullsh|t "?" operator.

                                      ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                      -----
                                      You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                      -----
                                      When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                                      L Offline
                                      L Offline
                                      Lost User
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #25

                                      John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                                      bullsh|t "?" operator

                                      More like boolsh|t in this case.

                                      The language is JavaScript. that of Mordor, which I will not utter here
                                      This is Javascript. If you put big wheels and a racing stripe on a golf cart, it's still a fucking golf cart.
                                      "I don't know, extraterrestrial?" "You mean like from space?" "No, from Canada." If software development were a circus, we would all be the clowns.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • R realJSOP

                                        What's more disturbing is that C# *still* doesn't allow this:

                                        if (!someObj) {...}

                                        which would preclude them from having to come up with the bullsh|t "?" operator.

                                        ".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
                                        -----
                                        You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
                                        -----
                                        When you pry the gun from my cold dead hands, be careful - the barrel will be very hot. - JSOP, 2013

                                        Richard DeemingR Offline
                                        Richard DeemingR Offline
                                        Richard Deeming
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #26

                                        If you implement the true[^] and false[^] operators, you can do something like:

                                        if (someObj) { ... }

                                        but you can't do:

                                        if (!someObj) { ... }


                                        "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined." - Homer

                                        "These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined" - Homer

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • S Slacker007

                                          IsNotNull? Also, you should not be purposely throwing an error from an extension method, as part of some divine plan. Just check if it is null or not, that is all. Leave the implementation to the calling party - this helps with code reuse (I may not want to do a console.writeline). My 2 unsolicited cents on your post. :-D

                                          B Offline
                                          B Offline
                                          BillWoodruff
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #27

                                          Well, I am afraid someone took me off the "divine plan" update service some years ago. Please note: 1. the code will throw an error in the Extension method only when the 'throwerror parameter is 'true, and, of course, the instance of the generic parameter T (constrained to Type 'Class) is null. 2. the code will only call Console.WriteLine when the compiler directive '#define ErrorsToConsole is included at the start of the file. One would expect this to be present only in the developer's code who is using the source. Again, keep in mind this is only an experiment. I gladly accept your 2 cents ! cheers, Bill

                                          «There is a spectrum, from "clearly desirable behaviour," to "possibly dodgy behavior that still makes some sense," to "clearly undesirable behavior." We try to make the latter into warnings or, better, errors. But stuff that is in the middle category you don’t want to restrict unless there is a clear way to work around it.» Eric Lippert, May 14, 2008

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