What the elephant did I just step in?

Dave Kreskowiak

Picture this. VB.NET code written by a newb that needs to be updated with some support for a new file format. I'm looking at a single method that's 17 pages(!) long and doesn't return anything. It contains NINETY EIGHT If statements. Some are chained together with ElseIf, some are nested down to five levels deep. There is lots of this:

If _condition-expression_ Then
    ' Do nothing
ElseIf _condition-expression_ Then
    If _condition-expression_ Then
        ' Empty block
    Else
        ' Holy elephant, do something here!
    EndIf
ElseIf _condition-expression_ Then
    ' Holy elephant, do something here!
ElseIf _condition-expression_ Then
    ' Yeah, another empty block here too!
Else
    ' Oh! And this block is empty too.

End If

Shoot me. Please. I beg of you.

System.ItDidntWorkException: Something didn't work as expected. A guide to posting questions on CodeProject

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Dave Kreskowiak

madwilliamflint

So do you guys really have no process for vetting noobcode?

raddevus

Wait! I think I know that guy who wrote that method. I mean, there couldn't be two people in the world that would do that could there? :~ I thought he was drummed out of development years ago though. EDIT Oh, wait, our guy didn't use methods. He wrote all of his code copy/past style and it was something like 20 pages long too. It was the same for loop copy pasted over and over. And, it was in prod and it finally failed in the for loop. So Instead of fixing it in one place... X| Yes, I'm serious. EDIT 2 And I should mention -- and I'm not kidding -- he was a MCSD. Fantastic test taker, I'm sure. :|

Dave Kreskowiak

This isn't a production app. It's a tool that's used by a couple of teams, and no, there was no cuh thing a vetting.

System.ItDidntWorkException: Something didn't work as expected. A guide to posting questions on CodeProject

Click this: Asking questions is a skill. Seriously, do it.
Dave Kreskowiak

Dave Kreskowiak

Quote:

he was a MCSD. Fantastic test taker, I'm sure.

I is all book smarts and stuff now. :laugh:

System.ItDidntWorkException: Something didn't work as expected. A guide to posting questions on CodeProject

Click this: Asking questions is a skill. Seriously, do it.
Dave Kreskowiak

MarkTJohnson

You owe it to yourself and those that follow to refactor that thing. Otherwise, the next If Then you add might cause the compiler to wave the white flag with a "Nesting too deep" error. Seen it, done it. At least the doesn't have goto's does it? Mine had that too.

Bernhard Hiller

MarkTJohnson wrote:

goto

You mean something like:

If condition-expression Then
' Do nothing
ElseIf condition-expression Then
If condition-expression Then
' Empty block
Else
' Holy elephant, do something here!
...
Goto Step123
EndIf
ElseIf condition-expression Then
' Holy elephant, do something here!
...
:Step123
...
Goto Step234
ElseIf condition-expression Then
' Yeah, another empty block here too!
Else
' Oh! And this block is empty too.
End If
...
:Step234
...
Goto Step123

Oh yeah, that's much more interesting!

Oh sanctissimi Wilhelmus, Theodorus, et Fredericus!

Sander Rossel

I know the feeling. And in SQL too.

Best, Sander arrgh.js - Bringing LINQ to JavaScript SQL Server for C# Developers Succinctly Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly

Nagy Vilmos

I could swap your VB with some MATLAB I've got hanging around here.

veni bibi saltavi

AlphaDeltaTheta

I'm having the same issue here, just the code is in JS.

Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas. Carl von Clausewitz Source

Rob Grainger

Paid by the line?

"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." Alan Kay.

Rob Grainger

I've been a professional programmer for over 30 years, and can assure you that there are many, many folk who produce that kind of cruft.

"If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." Alan Kay.