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  3. Programming peeve of the Day

Programming peeve of the Day

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Lounge
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  • N NotTodayYo

    Chris Maunder wrote:

    Your rewrite is how it should be done.

    Why? It's not as clear as to what the code will do. Plus, returning from inside an if is bad form.

    L Offline
    L Offline
    Lorenzo Bertolino
    wrote on last edited by
    #34

    Sure, in a function that is 1000 lines long, it isn't clear. In one that fits on the screen is quite obvious. But I'd argue that a function that long isn't clear either way. :-D

    1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • C Chris Maunder

      if (condition)
      {
      return;
      }
      else
      {
      // Do something else
      }

      cheers Chris Maunder

      R Offline
      R Offline
      rob tillaart
      wrote on last edited by
      #35

      It all depends on which measuring stick is used... - # exits in a function - # lines of code - # lines of comments - # paths in the code - readability, - maintainability, modifiability - only use positive condition tests (! using ! and certainly ! !!) And of course if you (think you) are paid by lines of code produced there are many other "solutions"

      1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • C Chris Maunder

        if (condition)
        {
        return;
        }
        else
        {
        // Do something else
        }

        cheers Chris Maunder

        U Offline
        U Offline
        User 14060113
        wrote on last edited by
        #36

        Visual Studio would show you that the else branch in unnecessary.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • C Chris Maunder

          if (condition)
          {
          return;
          }
          else
          {
          // Do something else
          }

          cheers Chris Maunder

          F Offline
          F Offline
          Fueled By Decaff
          wrote on last edited by
          #37

          Hmm, to trying to please people who want a single exit point and clear intent when processing is completed:

          if (condition)
          {
          goto returnStatement;
          }
          // Do something else

          :returnStatement

          return;

          X| :laugh: X|

          C 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • C Chris Maunder

            if (condition)
            {
            return;
            }
            else
            {
            // Do something else
            }

            cheers Chris Maunder

            W Offline
            W Offline
            Wizard of Sleeves
            wrote on last edited by
            #38

            My career best:

            function doNothing(something) {
            return something;
            }

            Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth.

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • C Chris Maunder

              if (condition)
              {
              return;
              }
              else
              {
              // Do something else
              }

              cheers Chris Maunder

              J Offline
              J Offline
              JohaViss61
              wrote on last edited by
              #39

              Just to annoy everyone :laugh:

              switch (condition)
              {
              case true: return;

              default: // do something else
              }

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

                I believe to be totally proper it should be;

                if ( !condition )
                {
                // Do something else
                return;
                }

                return ;

                The less you need, the more you have. JaxCoder.com

                B Offline
                B Offline
                BryanFazekas
                wrote on last edited by
                #40

                What is the value of the redundant return statement inside the braces? One of my first jobs was processing in a 16K space, and the data was 12K per record. We coded very concisely as we had no room for extraneous code. Today's compilers are far more efficient, but making the processing straightforward and eliminating redundant code is still a good idea.

                Mike HankeyM 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • B BryanFazekas

                  What is the value of the redundant return statement inside the braces? One of my first jobs was processing in a 16K space, and the data was 12K per record. We coded very concisely as we had no room for extraneous code. Today's compilers are far more efficient, but making the processing straightforward and eliminating redundant code is still a good idea.

                  Mike HankeyM Offline
                  Mike HankeyM Offline
                  Mike Hankey
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #41

                  I'm retired but I work a lot with embedded systems that have small memory spaces so every byte counts. The redundant return statements where a joke...to see how screwed up we could make it!

                  The less you need, the more you have. JaxCoder.com

                  B 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

                    I'm retired but I work a lot with embedded systems that have small memory spaces so every byte counts. The redundant return statements where a joke...to see how screwed up we could make it!

                    The less you need, the more you have. JaxCoder.com

                    B Offline
                    B Offline
                    BryanFazekas
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #42

                    Mike, you're not even close to how screwed up someone could make this! :laugh: I worked with a guy who was intent on cover EVERY possibility. His program executed 700 lines of code when tabbing between fields. If anyone actually clicked something, it go ugly ....

                    Mike HankeyM 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • B BryanFazekas

                      Mike, you're not even close to how screwed up someone could make this! :laugh: I worked with a guy who was intent on cover EVERY possibility. His program executed 700 lines of code when tabbing between fields. If anyone actually clicked something, it go ugly ....

                      Mike HankeyM Offline
                      Mike HankeyM Offline
                      Mike Hankey
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #43

                      I've no doubt that it could be more screwed up and I've seen it when I was getting payed to program. I wonder how some people get into the field and even more how they stay.

                      The less you need, the more you have. JaxCoder.com

                      B 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • C Chris Maunder

                        if (condition)
                        {
                        return;
                        }
                        else
                        {
                        // Do something else
                        }

                        cheers Chris Maunder

                        B Offline
                        B Offline
                        BernardIE5317
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #44

                        if(the_code_below_can_not_be_executed) return;
                        // now do what must be done

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • Mike HankeyM Mike Hankey

                          I've no doubt that it could be more screwed up and I've seen it when I was getting payed to program. I wonder how some people get into the field and even more how they stay.

                          The less you need, the more you have. JaxCoder.com

                          B Offline
                          B Offline
                          BryanFazekas
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #45

                          Yeah, the lack of ability in some cases is amazing, and not in a good way. My boss tells a story of a former employee who made cut-n-paste an art form. Modern art form. This person appears to have never written a line of code -- everything was copied from other programs and web sites, and this person could not understand why the program would not work. In another situation I taught a COBOL programmer with 5 years experience how to program. I am not a COBOL programmer and have never compiled a single line. This is not picking on COBOL -- this guy did not understand program flow. OTOH, he was fantastic at phone support, which is where he should have been.

                          N 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • F Fueled By Decaff

                            Hmm, to trying to please people who want a single exit point and clear intent when processing is completed:

                            if (condition)
                            {
                            goto returnStatement;
                            }
                            // Do something else

                            :returnStatement

                            return;

                            X| :laugh: X|

                            C Offline
                            C Offline
                            Chris Maunder
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #46

                            That's so, so wrong on so many levels...

                            cheers Chris Maunder

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • C Chris Maunder

                              if (condition)
                              {
                              return;
                              }
                              else
                              {
                              // Do something else
                              }

                              cheers Chris Maunder

                              O Offline
                              O Offline
                              obermd
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #47

                              Looks like a copy/paste error where the code wasn't cleaned up after the paste.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • C Chris Maunder

                                if (condition)
                                {
                                return;
                                }
                                else
                                {
                                // Do something else
                                }

                                cheers Chris Maunder

                                A Offline
                                A Offline
                                agolddog
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #48

                                Of course! It should be:

                                if (!condition) {
                                //Do something else
                                }

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • N NotTodayYo

                                  Chris Maunder wrote:

                                  Your rewrite is how it should be done.

                                  Why? It's not as clear as to what the code will do. Plus, returning from inside an if is bad form.

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Mark Starr
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #49

                                  Agreed! That’s what GOTO is for. :laugh:

                                  Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • C Chris Maunder

                                    if (condition)
                                    {
                                    return;
                                    }
                                    else
                                    {
                                    // Do something else
                                    }

                                    cheers Chris Maunder

                                    J Offline
                                    J Offline
                                    jmaida
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #50

                                    // need to do something if conditions are right otherwise don't if( condition ) { do something } return

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • C Chris Maunder

                                      if (condition)
                                      {
                                      return;
                                      }
                                      else
                                      {
                                      // Do something else
                                      }

                                      cheers Chris Maunder

                                      L Offline
                                      L Offline
                                      Lost User
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #51

                                      Agreed. I like to avoid (complex) negative conditions; so I might have:

                                      if ( negative condition as a positive) {
                                      // continue.
                                      else {
                                      return;
                                      }

                                      (Don't like your braces tho ... bad Feng Shui)

                                      It was only in wine that he laid down no limit for himself, but he did not allow himself to be confused by it. ― Confucian Analects: Rules of Confucius about his food

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • B BryanFazekas

                                        Yeah, the lack of ability in some cases is amazing, and not in a good way. My boss tells a story of a former employee who made cut-n-paste an art form. Modern art form. This person appears to have never written a line of code -- everything was copied from other programs and web sites, and this person could not understand why the program would not work. In another situation I taught a COBOL programmer with 5 years experience how to program. I am not a COBOL programmer and have never compiled a single line. This is not picking on COBOL -- this guy did not understand program flow. OTOH, he was fantastic at phone support, which is where he should have been.

                                        N Offline
                                        N Offline
                                        NightPen
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #52

                                        My first developer job at Microsoft required me to analyze code written by a 'developer who got promoted so is no longer available. I and another dev spent hours analyzing this C language mess. Finally, after hours of analysis, we traced deep enough to get to the root of what the code was doing. Result? It returned the number 1. Yup, that is all the entire 20K lines of code did. The reason it never worked? The array this was used to dereference only had 1 element. Sheesh.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • N NotTodayYo

                                          Chris Maunder wrote:

                                          Your rewrite is how it should be done.

                                          Why? It's not as clear as to what the code will do. Plus, returning from inside an if is bad form.

                                          W Offline
                                          W Offline
                                          willichan
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #53

                                          Why does this now come to mind? [https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/company-bumpers/images/7/7d/TCFHE-Australia-1995-Rewind.png\](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/company-bumpers/images/7/7d/TCFHE-Australia-1995-Rewind.png) Money makes the world go round ... but documentation moves the money.

                                          1 Reply Last reply
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