With comments like this, no wonder commenting gets a bad reputation

[B Clay Shannon]

I ran across this in some legacy code, and I hereby submit it to "the most redundant/superfluous code comment contest": // Check connection checkConnection(); Why do I hear, in my mind's ear, Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle drawling "Surprise, surprise!" when I see this comment?

[jeron1]

What I really love is when code gets changed but the comment does not. There was a huge thread on these types of things not that long ago. //Check Connection breakConnection();

"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst

[Mike Hankey]

Does seem excessively redundant! :) I think even Gomer would know not to do this.

Have you ever just looked at someone and knew the wheel was turning but the hamster was dead? Trying to understand the behavior of some people is like trying to smell the color 9.

[jeron1]

Mike Hankey wrote:

I think even Gomer would know not to do this.

He'd run around screaming "citizens arrayest! citizens arrayest!"

"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment "Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst

[PIEBALDconsult]

Mike Hankey wrote:

even Gomer would know not to do this.

As I recall, he's an automotive mechanic, you don't think his wrenches are marked with their sizes? Seems redundant to me. :rolleyes:

[Lost User]

That's worth more points if it turns out that checkConnection actually does not check connection.

[Mike Hankey]

A good mechanic can tell the size of a wrench by looking at it so yeah that would be redundant to mark them.

Have you ever just looked at someone and knew the wheel was turning but the hamster was dead? Trying to understand the behavior of some people is like trying to smell the color 9.

[B Clay Shannon]

It tries to open a connection; the catch block displays an err msg if it fails.

[Ian Shlasko]

Well then it's named wrong... It should have been:

// Check Connection
tryToOpenConnectionAndDisplayAnErrorMessageIfItFailsThankYouAndGoodnight();

Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels)

[PIEBALDconsult]

// Check connection checkConnection(); // Cash connection checkConnection(); // Credit Card connection checkConnection(); // Debit Card connection checkConnection(); :-D

[Lost User]

B. Clay Shannon wrote:

It tries to open a connection

That was my first hunch. :((

Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]

[Richard Deeming]

PIEBALDconsult wrote:

// Cheque connection chequeConnection();

FTFY. ;P

---

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

[PIEBALDconsult]

czechConnection frenchConnection

[Jeremy Falcon]

It gets even better. I've even seen something akin to this in Basic...

' assign 5 to x
Let x = 5

Jeremy Falcon

[Nemanja Trifunovic]

Ughhh. It should really be: // Check connection check_connection();

utf8-cpp

[Lost User]

Just because he's a pro at naming a function doesn't mean the comment is bad.

[Lost User]

Or:

// assign 0.1 to x
double x = 0.1;

Which is actually a lie.

[Slacker007]

I don't always comment my code, but when I do... //TODO: insert comment here.

[PIEBALDconsult]

// Whereas we wish for this application to interact with a database // and whereas such interaction will require a connection to the server and instance of said database // and whereas a connection of this type relies on many fluctuating unknowns within the server and network infrastructure // and further, given the business-critical nature of this application and its associated interaction with the database // it has therefore been determined that checking whether or not such a connection can be successfully negotiated as early as possible // in the event that such a connection cannot be negotiated, then remediatory actions may be activated in a more timely manner than otherwise feasible checkConnection();

[Sander Rossel]

Found stuff like that too.

' Save the customer.
SaveCustomer()

Even worse:

' Save the customer.
SaveProduct()

The code was copy/pasted and then changed, but of course the comments were overlooked. But that's not all:

' A helper variable
Dim helper As String
helper = "Something"
' Lots of code here...
If someCondition Then
MessageBox.Show(helper)
End If

Yes, in that last part the 'helper variable' is actually a constant string that may or may not be used further in the function... Good thing it was commented :doh: And you wonder why VB has a bad name? This has nothing to do with VB, but with coders that can't code...

It's an OO world.

public class SanderRossel : Lazy<Person>
{
public void DoWork()
{
throw new NotSupportedException();
}
}