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C# Object Initializer Syntax

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  • J Jacquers

    Just a personal preference, but I've come to dislike the look of this syntax. I think it's the indentation. StudentName student2 = new StudentName { FirstName = "Craig", LastName = "Playstead", }; vs StudentName student2 = new StudentName(); student2.FirstName = "Craig"; student2.LastName = "Playstead";

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

    Not only that. It does not introduce any real benefit. Sure, the inititialisation now is atomic, but that can become a pain when debugging (which one of those 4000 fields threw that exception during the initialisation?) and actually is not needed so often.

    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.

    J R Richard DeemingR I 4 Replies Last reply
    0
    • L Lost User

      Not only that. It does not introduce any real benefit. Sure, the inititialisation now is atomic, but that can become a pain when debugging (which one of those 4000 fields threw that exception during the initialisation?) and actually is not needed so often.

      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.

      J Offline
      J Offline
      Jacquers
      wrote on last edited by
      #14

      Yes, worth it to use the longer syntax just for better debugging :)

      L 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • J Jacquers

        Yes, worth it to use the longer syntax just for better debugging :)

        L Offline
        L Offline
        Lost User
        wrote on last edited by
        #15

        I had that problem with a data object for a database table with about 150 columns (a monstrosity by itself). Somewhere in the initialisation a simple null reference exception occured, but for which column. But my cow-orkers insisted on using the initializers because they are soooo cool (why, exactly?), muuuuuch more readable (why, exactly?) and because they are atomic (which we needed for what reason, exactly?).

        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
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        • L Lost User

          You moved the comma in the initializer though; saves a keypress if one would copy/paste an entry :)

          Bastard Programmer from Hell :suss: If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^][](X-Clacks-Overhead: GNU Terry Pratchett)

          R Offline
          R Offline
          realJSOP
          wrote on last edited by
          #16

          I moved the comma because when you're typing that initializer, you need to type a space (or the first letter of a property name that hasn't already been initialized) for intellisense to work. Keeps things lined up as well until I can fiddle with it a little more to make it pretty. :)

          ".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

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • L Lost User

            Not only that. It does not introduce any real benefit. Sure, the inititialisation now is atomic, but that can become a pain when debugging (which one of those 4000 fields threw that exception during the initialisation?) and actually is not needed so often.

            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.

            R Offline
            R Offline
            realJSOP
            wrote on last edited by
            #17
            1. If you can't discern which of the properties is throwing the exception, maybe you should let someone else do the debugging. 1) If you have 400 properties that need to be initialized in an object, maybe you should rethink your design and pass a single model object (or a limited number of model objects) to a constructor and debug in the object being initialized. 2) After my first experience with a null reference exception as a result of a database query, I started writing my stored procs in such a way as to NOT return null values for any column.

            ".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 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • R realJSOP

              StudentName student2 = new StudentName
              {
              FirstName = "Craig"
              ,LastName = "Playstead"
              };

              Nothing at all wrong with that, and requires less typing than your preferred method. Of course, the ultimate in "less typing" is a constructor with a parameter for each property:

              StudentName student2 = new StudentName("Craig", "Playstead");

              In the end, your preference doesn't matter within the context of your employer's coding standards, and no matter which way you go, they all do essentially the same thing.

              ".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
              #18

              John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

              Nothing at all wrong with that,

              Except for the leading comma, which is an abomination. :) I see people use that in SQL queries, who argue that it makes it easier to rearrange the lines without having to remember to add/remove the comma. But it doesn't - you've just moved the problem from the end of the list to the start of the list. And in C#, that's not even a real problem. You can have a trailing comma on every item, including the last:

              StudentName student2 = new StudentName
              {
              FirstName = "Craig",
              LastName = "Playstead",
              };

              As for invoking Intellisense, Ctrl+Space will do the trick without having to insert extra spaces. :)


              "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

              R 1 Reply Last reply
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              • L Lost User

                Not only that. It does not introduce any real benefit. Sure, the inititialisation now is atomic, but that can become a pain when debugging (which one of those 4000 fields threw that exception during the initialisation?) and actually is not needed so often.

                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.

                Richard DeemingR Offline
                Richard DeemingR Offline
                Richard Deeming
                wrote on last edited by
                #19

                CDP1802 wrote:

                It does not introduce any real benefit.

                Lambda expressions? LINQ? Anonymous types? There are plenty of cases where you need to initialize a new object but you can't use multiple statements to do it. If you've never encountered one, then feel free to ignore the syntax. But that doesn't mean they don't exist! :)


                "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

                L 1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • R realJSOP
                  1. If you can't discern which of the properties is throwing the exception, maybe you should let someone else do the debugging. 1) If you have 400 properties that need to be initialized in an object, maybe you should rethink your design and pass a single model object (or a limited number of model objects) to a constructor and debug in the object being initialized. 2) After my first experience with a null reference exception as a result of a database query, I started writing my stored procs in such a way as to NOT return null values for any column.

                  ".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
                  #20
                  1. I did that by leaving the company. 1) Agreed, but it was not my design and the last survivor of the original 'designers' was the company's second in command who took any proposals as a personal insult. Another good reason to leave that place.

                  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
                  • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                    CDP1802 wrote:

                    It does not introduce any real benefit.

                    Lambda expressions? LINQ? Anonymous types? There are plenty of cases where you need to initialize a new object but you can't use multiple statements to do it. If you've never encountered one, then feel free to ignore the syntax. But that doesn't mean they don't exist! :)


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

                    L Offline
                    L Offline
                    Lost User
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #21

                    I try to avoid such an unreadable mess where I can. Initializing objects with many members within some other construct is an unreadable mess.

                    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.

                    T 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • Richard DeemingR Richard Deeming

                      John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote:

                      Nothing at all wrong with that,

                      Except for the leading comma, which is an abomination. :) I see people use that in SQL queries, who argue that it makes it easier to rearrange the lines without having to remember to add/remove the comma. But it doesn't - you've just moved the problem from the end of the list to the start of the list. And in C#, that's not even a real problem. You can have a trailing comma on every item, including the last:

                      StudentName student2 = new StudentName
                      {
                      FirstName = "Craig",
                      LastName = "Playstead",
                      };

                      As for invoking Intellisense, Ctrl+Space will do the trick without having to insert extra spaces. :)


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

                      R Offline
                      R Offline
                      realJSOP
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #22

                      I view the trailing unnecessary comma as an abomination. :)

                      ".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

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • M Munchies_Matt

                        I always use your second style here, all function calls are broken up with one param per line, all neatly lined up. (I am so anal about code tidyness :) )

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

                        Munchies_Matt wrote:

                        I am so anal about code tidyness :)

                        ... and sooo paid by the LOC it seems ;)

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • B Brady Kelly

                          Or the very subject of this topic, an object initializer: StudentName student2 = new StudentName {"Craig", "Playstead"};

                          Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. - Liber AL vel Legis 1:40, Aleister Crowley

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

                          Give it another iteration of new language features and we'll probably have the even shorter C++ version. At times I wish they went faster but at least MS is steadily chipping away at language verbosity in C#; unlike Sun/whOracle who seem to revel in Java's bloatyness. :doh:

                          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

                          K B 2 Replies Last reply
                          0
                          • Z ZurdoDev

                            Chris C-B wrote:

                            Anything that gets rid of squirly brackets has got to be good.

                            Long live VB! :thumbsup::cool:

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

                            Sander RosselS Offline
                            Sander RosselS Offline
                            Sander Rossel
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #25

                            My thoughts exactly! :laugh:

                            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

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                            0
                            • J Jacquers

                              Just a personal preference, but I've come to dislike the look of this syntax. I think it's the indentation. StudentName student2 = new StudentName { FirstName = "Craig", LastName = "Playstead", }; vs StudentName student2 = new StudentName(); student2.FirstName = "Craig"; student2.LastName = "Playstead";

                              T Offline
                              T Offline
                              TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #26

                              I like the first. Less typing and more readable.

                              #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

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • L Lost User

                                Not only that. It does not introduce any real benefit. Sure, the inititialisation now is atomic, but that can become a pain when debugging (which one of those 4000 fields threw that exception during the initialisation?) and actually is not needed so often.

                                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.

                                I Offline
                                I Offline
                                Ian Shlasko
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #27

                                CDP1802 wrote:

                                4000 fields

                                :omg: I think I've located your problem.

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

                                L 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • I Ian Shlasko

                                  CDP1802 wrote:

                                  4000 fields

                                  :omg: I think I've located your problem.

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

                                  L Offline
                                  L Offline
                                  Lost User
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #28

                                  It were only 150, but that already is bad enough.

                                  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.

                                  I 1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • L Lost User

                                    It were only 150, but that already is bad enough.

                                    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.

                                    I Offline
                                    I Offline
                                    Ian Shlasko
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #29

                                    Yeah, that's just... ouch... If my objects ever have more than a couple dozen fields, I start thinking of the most logical way to split them up. But if you're manually initializing 150 fields at once, whether it's in one object or an object tree, it's time to rethink your design.

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

                                    L 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • L Lost User

                                      I try to avoid such an unreadable mess where I can. Initializing objects with many members within some other construct is an unreadable mess.

                                      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.

                                      T Offline
                                      T Offline
                                      TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #30

                                      If that causes an "unreadable mess", may I suggest that indicates a different problem.

                                      #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 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                                        If that causes an "unreadable mess", may I suggest that indicates a different problem.

                                        #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
                                        #31

                                        Yes, and that was the least of their problems. They also found it nice and well that the application logic resided under the data access layer, in stored procedures and triggers.

                                        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.

                                        T 1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • I Ian Shlasko

                                          Yeah, that's just... ouch... If my objects ever have more than a couple dozen fields, I start thinking of the most logical way to split them up. But if you're manually initializing 150 fields at once, whether it's in one object or an object tree, it's time to rethink your design.

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

                                          L Offline
                                          L Offline
                                          Lost User
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #32

                                          The database already was a horror by itself, but could not be changed without risking a complete collapse. They were simply attempting to add something like data access classes and initializing data objects from data query results. It was a feeble attempt to bring some order to this application because a good part of the application logic was hidden in database triggers. Doing CRUD operations with data access objects usually had unexpected side effects.

                                          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.

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