The Weird and The Wonderful

The Weird and The Wonderful forum is a place to post Coding Horrors, Worst Practices, and the occasional flash of brilliance.

We all come across code that simply boggles the mind. Lazy kludges, embarrassing mistakes, horrid workarounds and developers just not quite getting it. And then somedays we come across - or write - the truly sublime.

Post your Best, your worst, and your most interesting. But please - no programming questions . This forum is purely for amusement and discussions on code snippets. All actual programming questions will be removed.

Re: Redundancy Peaking

Bernhard Hiller17-Aug-11 3:08

Bernhard Hiller

17-Aug-11 3:08

That won't work on a German system: boolVar.ToString evaluates to "Wahr" or "Falsch". Some time ago I posted a coding horror where just that happened by implicit conversion from bool to string.

Message Removed

18-Aug-11 7:25

N_tro_P

18-Aug-11 7:25

Message Removed

Re: Redundancy Peaking

PaulLinton18-Aug-11 12:08

PaulLinton

18-Aug-11 12:08

I hope this code didn't get in to production Laugh | :laugh:

because it doesn't work. Try

TruthChecker(false, 1)

I think this will return true Frown | :(

Re: Redundancy Peaking

R. Erasmus17-Aug-11 1:24

R. Erasmus

17-Aug-11 1:24

I feel that it makes reading a program easier when actually seeing the True as well as it's less error prone:

MY ARGUMENT TO MY 2 POINTS:

1) VISIBLE

Using the statement:

If (myControl.Visible = True) Then

I immediatly know that Visible is a boolean.

2) LESS ERROR PRONE

What happens if Visible is actually an unsigned int which can range from 0 to 10 but the programmer forgot to program it correctly?

E.g.

HE WROTE:

If (myControl.Visible)

INSTEAD OF:

If (myControl.Visible < 10)

This type of bug would be difficult to find if you write your boolean if statements without the True, however easy if not.

"Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence."

<< please vote!! >>

Re: Redundancy Peaking

Vladimir Svyatski18-Aug-11 9:18

Vladimir Svyatski

18-Aug-11 9:18

I've seen similar stuff many, many, many times. I believe the author is paid not only for lines of code but for columns as well.

Re: Redundancy Peaking

Bert Mitton29-Aug-11 7:42

Bert Mitton

29-Aug-11 7:42

I hate to say it, but I do that boolean crap in if...thens. It's the only way some people can understand the code when they read it.

Try Catch - at least it won't break

RCoate11-Aug-11 17:27

RCoate

11-Aug-11 17:27

Just found this piece of quality in our production code.

try
{
    Class1.NullableInt1 = int.Parse(txtSomeUserInput.Text);
}
catch
{
    Class1.NullableInt1 = null;
}
...
//repeat for each nullable int in the class.

NB: Class, property and input names changed to protect the inocent.

And people here wonder why our web forms can take 1 minute or more to post back!

Re: Try Catch - at least it won't break

leppie12-Aug-11 3:47

leppie

12-Aug-11 3:47

Sadly, the sucker never heard of the Convert class...

((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x)))

Re: Try Catch - at least it won't break

GibbleCH15-Aug-11 5:28

GibbleCH

15-Aug-11 5:28

or TryParse ...

Re: Try Catch - at least it won't break

BillW3322-Aug-11 6:54

BillW33

22-Aug-11 6:54

Seeing far too much code like that is what made me choose my signature line.

Just because the code works, it doesn't mean that it is good code.

if .... else case

Colin Mullikin11-Aug-11 2:31

Colin Mullikin

11-Aug-11 2:31

Delphi

if (FileType = 0) then
    FileSaveAs(Sender)
  else begin
    case FileType of
      1:SaveCDL(FileName,List);
      2:SaveDXF(FileName,List);
      3:SaveFile(FileName,List);
    end; {case FileType}
  end; {if (FileType = 0) else ...}

I came across this in some code (written by someone else) that I am looking through to find the cause of a save/load error. Sigh | :sigh:

The United States invariably does the right thing, after having exhausted every other alternative. -Winston Churchill

America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between. -Oscar Wilde

Wow, even the French showed a little more spine than that before they got their sh*t pushed in.[^] -Colin Mullikin

Re: if .... else case

BobJanova11-Aug-11 4:05

BobJanova

11-Aug-11 4:05

Nice one!

Re: if .... else case

Lutosław11-Aug-11 23:25

Lutosław

11-Aug-11 23:25

Is it about

FileType=0

being an assignment instead of comparison?

Greetings - Jacek

Re: if .... else case

TorstenFrings12-Aug-11 1:13

TorstenFrings

12-Aug-11 1:13

no, this is the VB way of comparison

Re: if .... else case

Lutosław12-Aug-11 1:44

Lutosław

12-Aug-11 1:44

It seems to be Pascal, not VB. But, in Pascal = is also a comparison, AFAIR. Frankly, I don't see where the horror is.

Greetings - Jacek

Re: if .... else case

TorstenFrings12-Aug-11 1:56

TorstenFrings

12-Aug-11 1:56

omg yes it's PASCAL ... guess the horror is the fact, that there is no need for the outer IF, because it could be handled inside the CASE as well

Re: if .... else case

Colin Mullikin14-Aug-11 18:27

Colin Mullikin

14-Aug-11 18:27

TorstenFrings wrote:
no need for the outer IF, because it could be handled inside the CASE

Yeah, that's it. Having the if instead of just case 0 seems a bit like someone wasn't actually thinking about what they were coding.

Re: if .... else case

Colin Mullikin14-Aug-11 18:28

Colin Mullikin

14-Aug-11 18:28

Jacek Gajek wrote:
It seems to be Pascal, not VB.

It's Delphi. So, you were almost right. Thumbs Up | :thumbsup:

Re: if .... else case

Vladimir Svyatski18-Aug-11 9:42

Vladimir Svyatski

18-Aug-11 9:42

Colin Mullikin wrote:
It's Delphi. So, you were almost right.

He was absolutely right. Delphi is not a programming language, it's IDE just like Visual Studio. Object Pascal is used as a programming language inside. I know what I'm talking about. I had the pleasure of working with Delphi/C++ Builder. It was more than 5 years ago though. I still remember C++ Builder 6. But Borland is dead now Frown | :(

Re: if .... else case

Vladimir Svyatski18-Aug-11 9:30

Vladimir Svyatski

18-Aug-11 9:30

Oh, sh*t, Pascal Smile | :)

Haven't seen it for several years. Is Delphi still alive? Anyway wouldn't it be easier to write something like

Delphi

case FileType of
      0:FileSaveAs(Sender);
      1:SaveCDL(FileName,List);
      2:SaveDXF(FileName,List);
      3:SaveFile(FileName,List);
end;

Or religion doesn't allow? Sorry for possible syntax mistakes. But like I said: I haven't seen it for several years.

modified 6-Aug-12 16:22pm.

Re: if .... else case

Colin Mullikin18-Aug-11 14:05

Colin Mullikin

18-Aug-11 14:05

Yep, you hit the nail on the head with that one. I have no clue why the original programmer didn't do that in the first place. I changed it to that, since it looks much cleaner.

Every line makes me die a little more...

leppie11-Aug-11 0:37

leppie

11-Aug-11 0:37

WTF~!!!!!!!!!!! WTF | :WTF:

var key = "13870";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13886";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13905";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13910";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13918";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13922";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13927";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13930";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13948";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13965";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "13986";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

var key = "14002";
var checkboxName = key + "_Selected";
var commentName = key + "_Comments";
if(document.getElementById(checkboxName).checked == true)
{
   document.getElementById(commentName).value = commentBox.value;
   appliedToCount ++;
}

Update:

This code was in fact generated... Refactoring, thy name is frailty!

((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x)))

Re: Every line makes me die a little more...

Shameel11-Aug-11 6:03

Shameel

11-Aug-11 6:03

leppie wrote:
.checked == true

This is an instance of shame within a shame.

Re: Every line makes me die a little more...

GibbleCH11-Aug-11 8:48

GibbleCH

11-Aug-11 8:48

I presume each of these duplicated sections was in it's own method, otherwise it won't even compile. Since each var statement keeps declaring variables that are already declared.

Re: Every line makes me die a little more...

leppie11-Aug-11 9:10

leppie

11-Aug-11 9:10

It is acceptable javascript.

((λ (x) `(,x ',x)) '(λ (x) `(,x ',x)))

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