C#

public void SafeTryParse
  (string stringValue,
   Decimal? defaultValue,
   out Decimal value)
{
    if (!Decimal.TryParse (stringValue, out value) && defaultValue.HasValue) {
        value = defaultValue.Value;
    }
}

private bool SafeTryParse(string s, ref decimal result) {
  decimal temp;
  bool ok = Decimal.TryParse(s, out temp);
  if (ok) result = temp;
  return ok;
}

decimal val;
// now first use of val, not meant to provide the default value
val=some_garbage;
someOperations(val);
// now second use, forgetting to set the actual default value
bool OK=SafeTryParse("foo", ref val);
// val still contains garbage

// result is zero when parse fails
private bool SafeTryParse(string s, out decimal result);

// result is dflt when parse fails
private bool SafeTryParse(string s, out decimal result, decimal dflt);

public virtual T
ExecuteScalar<T>
(
    T IfNull
)
{

string badNumericString = "Bogus";
Decimal foo; // will be initialized to 0 by the runtime
if (!Decimal.TryParse (badNumericString, out foo)) foo = 1; // default value here

Bastard Programmer from Hell

Eddy Vluggen wrote:

it'll probably initialize it with the same value it initializes an empty variable

public static bool TryParse(string s, out decimal result)
{
    return Number.TryParseDecimal(s, NumberStyles.Number, NumberFormatInfo.CurrentInfo, out result);
}

internal static unsafe bool TryParseDecimal(string value, NumberStyles options, NumberFormatInfo numfmt, out decimal result)
{
    byte* stackBuffer = stackalloc byte[0x72];
    NumberBuffer number = new NumberBuffer(stackBuffer);
    result = 0M; // result is set to zero here!
    if (!TryStringToNumber(value, options, ref number, numfmt, true))
    {
        return false;
    }
    if (!NumberBufferToDecimal(number.PackForNative(), ref result))
    {
        return false;
    }
    return true;
}

Eddy Vluggen wrote:

Do we actually care

Luc Pattyn wrote:

no-one reads or beliefs it

public bool
TryParse
(
    string Name
,
    out T  Value
)
{
    bool result = true ;

    Value = default(T) ;

public static bool
TryGetValue<T>
(
  this object Source
,
  out T       Value
)
{
  bool result = false ;

  Value = default(T) ;

Member 7881518 wrote:

Is it a packet format issue or anything else?

Bastard Programmer from Hell