Coding Horrors: You can gather all your technical debt into one easy framework!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The Cavern of COBOL > Coding Horrors: You can gather all your technical debt into one easy framework!

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

A guy I work with will take code like this:

code:

if( whatever )
{
    doSomething;
    doSomethingElse();
}
else
{
    doThis;
    doThat();
    doTheOther;
}

He turns it into this:

code:

if( whatever ){
    doSomething;
    doSomethingElse();}
else{
    doThis;
    doThat();
    doTheOther;}

He then commits it to the repository with the comment "Code cleanup."

He also hates to use functions because "it makes the code too hard to follow."

# ¿ Jun 24, 2010 16:05

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 08:20

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

He's gotten better at not doing that over the years, but he'll still complain about functions being hard to follow. He's actually pretty smart when it comes to some of the weird poo poo we need to figure out.

Here is another gem I found in some old networking code we have:

code:

        StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer( 120 );
        boolean useHTTPS = false;
 
        try
        {
            if( useHTTPS )
            {
                buffer.append( HTTPS_START );
            }
            else
            {
                buffer.append( HTTP_START );
            }

# ¿ Jun 24, 2010 20:49

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Orzo posted:

Don't you have some sort of standards wherever you work in which one of you (I'm assuming him, since I hate his style) is blatantly breaking a rule?

I'm my department yes, but he is in another department and they put up with it.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2010 20:51

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Jonnty posted:

Presumably they were going to add a way of changing useHTTPS later? That's not a colossal horror if so.

I would hope, but by the time I inherited the code it was already 2 years old and the original programmer was long gone. I ended up rewriting most of the networking library anyway.

# ¿ Jun 24, 2010 20:57

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

We got a new guy who's interning here until he finishes his degree. When he was sent to my department I asked him what his java experience was and he replied "Pretty extensive. I've have had 4 classes now on Java." After the usual training B.S. I let him start fixing some bugs and gave him an easy one to start with. I even told him how to fix it by extending ClassA and override MethodA, etc.

Six hours later he commits the changes which included copy and pasting ClassA to a new file calling it ClassB and changing some code in MethodA because he couldn't figure out he needed to remove "final" from ClassA.

Apparently they save the final keyword for the 5th java class. :bang:

# ¿ Jul 1, 2010 16:01

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Painless posted:

The way you describe it, your way of "fixing" things sounds like a coding horror in itself. Class A has a bug, so fix it by quietly removing 'final' and extending with a class that has the bug fixed?

It wasn't a bug in the sense that there was a flaw in ClassA. I just call everything in our issue tracker a bug.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2010 16:19

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Touch�.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2010 18:26

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

WangNinja posted:

code:

INSERT INTO 
	ScoringEntry  
(
	projectid, 
	type, 
	questionid, 
	answerid, 
	AgencyMarketingInd
) 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q1QuestionID, 
	@q1AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd 
UNION ALL 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q2QuestionID, 
	@q2AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd 
UNION ALL 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q3QuestionID, 
	@q3AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd
UNION ALL 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q4QuestionID, 
	@q4AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd 
UNION ALL 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q5QuestionID, 
	@q5AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd 
UNION ALL 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q6QuestionID, 
	@q6AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd 
UNION ALL 
SELECT  
	@servID, 
	'S', 
	@q7QuestionID, 
	@q7AnswerID, 
	@AgencyMarketingInd

My sql isn't that great, but it looks to me like every question and answer has its own column, which physically made me lol.

# ¿ Jul 9, 2010 18:23

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

I found this today and it's not even that bad but it struck me as so funny I started cracking up at my desk.

code:

text.setMessageText(moreBody);
text.setMessageText( text.getMessageText() + " " + moreBody );

Basically it's suppose to take the moreBody and append it to the existing body so you should end up with "1 2" for example. Since it's wrong you end up with "2 2".

# ¿ Jul 30, 2010 14:23

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Found this one today.

code:

    public boolean addModuleName( String moduleName )
    {
        boolean moduleNameAddedSuccessfully = false;
        
        if( _modules != null )
        {
            try
            {
                _modules.addElement( moduleName );
                moduleNameAddedSuccessfully = true;
            }
            catch( Exception addModuleNameException )
            {
                System.out.println( addModuleNameException.toString() );
            }
        }
        else
        {
            moduleNameAddedSuccessfully = false;
        }
        
        return moduleNameAddedSuccessfully;
    }

I can understand checking the vector to make sure it's not null, but the rest...

# ¿ Aug 12, 2010 15:43

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

I saw this today and just stared in wonder.

code:

public static final int COLOR_DARK_GREEN = Color.DARKGREEN;
public static final int COLOR_DARK_BLUE  = Color.DARKBLUE;

Color.DARKGREEN and Color.DARKBLUE are already static constants in another class. Why do they need to be re-static-constanted?

:psyduck:

# ¿ Aug 27, 2010 16:38

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Nevett posted:

This is in C#, in an ASP.NET project I've inherited.

code:

	public Boolean IsNumeric(String strString)
	{
		Boolean bValid = true;
		for (Int32 nI = 0; nI < strString.Length; nI++)
		{
			String strChar = strString.Substring(nI, 1);
			if (strChar != "0" && strChar != "1" && strChar != "2"
			 && strChar != "3" && strChar != "4" && strChar != "5"
			 && strChar != "6" && strChar != "7" && strChar != "8"
			 && strChar != "9")
			{
				bValid = false;
			}
		}
		return bValid;
	}

Run this thread through there and see how long it takes.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2010 15:24

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

code:

for (int i = 0; i<1; i++ )
{
     /do some stuff, guess how many times.
}

# ¿ Sep 27, 2010 14:44

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Hammerite posted:

I think this could be defensible, depending on what exactly it's being used to do. Similar to how while (true) {...} can be a useful control structure.

I challenge thee to provide an example.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2010 21:08

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Exceptions are great until they are thrown 14 calls back with no indications of which method threw it.

:suicide:

# ¿ Sep 28, 2010 13:46

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

NotShadowStar posted:

What crazytown language doesn't vomit a stack dump when you get an uncaught exception?

RIMs bastard java they put on Blackberrys.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2010 14:04

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Internet Janitor posted:

Fun fact: in "RIM Java", static initialization on final variables can be fired every time the classloader of a subclass is executed.

Try this with strings and watch your memory footprint EXPLODE INTO WONDERLAND!

# ¿ Sep 29, 2010 19:37

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

This isn't so much a horror, as it just bugs me.

code:

HttpHeaders.HEADER_ACCEPT_ENCODING

Isn't

code:

HttpHeaders.ACCEPT_ENCODING

enough?

# ¿ Oct 14, 2010 20:15

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Just came across this comment:

code:

//Battery status constants.  DON'T gently caress WITH THESE VALUES.

Way to stay professional ex-dick that left this mess for me.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2010 18:42

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

This might not be a horror for some of you but gently caress.

code:

if( bananas )
     grabBanana();

God drat I don't care if it's one line. Put some {} on that poo poo.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2010 21:11

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Orzo posted:

This is a preference and probably the furthest thing from a horror I can think of. Follow your team's guidelines when it comes to this one.

Our department made it a guideline long ago because we all hate it. I was reminded of it today while looking though a library from another department.

# ¿ Nov 19, 2010 21:57

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Here's a riddle for you.

Q: What do you get when you have a graphic designer who's never coded before create an application?

A: One 5000 line class that contains the entire app.

# ¿ Dec 3, 2010 22:07

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

code:

if ( !responseBuffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(newData) )
{
    responseBuffer = ByteBuffer.wrap(newData, 0, newData.length);
}

# ¿ Dec 17, 2010 20:26

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

code:

public int getItemId(int ID)
{
    return ID;
}

# ¿ Jan 18, 2011 14:32

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Internet Janitor posted:

Lysandus: Placeholder for validation logic? Please?

It's existed for three versions of the software and there are no comments around it indicating it might be.

NotShadowStar posted:

Probably a typo or slip of the brain. Likely meant 'return _itemID' or some such.

Slow coding horror weeks!

Here's the best part. The only place it's used.

code:

for( Contact contact : contactVector)
{
    Log( "Adding contact with ID: ", getItemId( contact.getId() ) );
	        		
    //other processing stuff
}

If it was to have another use, I have yet to find it.

# ¿ Jan 18, 2011 17:07

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

I'm digging through a connection class for one of our internal apps and there is no handling for HTTP 401 responses from the server.

And by no handling I mean the entire app crashes if the server returns a 401.

# ¿ Jan 20, 2011 16:08

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

quote:

When you define static fields (also called class fields) of type String, you can increase application speed by using static variables (not final) instead of constants (final). The opposite is true for primitive data types, such as int.

For example, you might create a String object as follows:

private static final String x ="example";

For this static constant (denoted by the final keyword), each time that you use the constant, a temporary String instance is created. The compiler eliminates "x" and replaces it with the string "example" in the bytecode, so that the BlackBerry� Java� Virtual Machine performs a hash table lookup each time that you reference "x".

http://docs.blackberry.com/en/developers/deliverables/5716/Using_static_vars_for_strings_447038_11.jsp

# ¿ Feb 15, 2011 21:14

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Ugg boots posted:

Oh god, this is a Blackberry JVM implementation only thing, right?

Thankfully yes.

# ¿ Feb 15, 2011 21:47

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

code:

long thisInterval = ((Long)data).longValue();
long nextInterval = ((Long)data).longValue();
						
if( thisInterval < nextInterval )
{
    _data = data;
}

# ¿ Mar 25, 2011 13:38

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Edison was a dick posted:

Well it might do something if data changes, which could happen if it's volatile.
What are data and _data?

It's not. data is passed into the method and _data is the passed in data but global. Later on the method _data = data; anyway based some some other criteria.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2011 16:27

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Bad naming usually pisses me off, but this was a good laugh.

code:

private void addBasicGorillasToTheBananaHeaders ( Hashtable<String, String> properlyRequestedBananaRequisitionFormsWithCheifGorillaApproval  )
{
    //stuff
}

# ¿ Mar 25, 2011 19:34

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

I found this today.

code:

if( !true )
{
}

Nothing identifying around it. Just that.

# ¿ Jul 6, 2011 21:28

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

This is the best part. People around me were poking their heads out of their cubes to see why I was laughing so hard.

code:

throw new InvalidArgumentException(ValueToBeTested + " is not a valid boolean value.");

# ¿ Jul 7, 2011 13:12

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

toiletbrush posted:

Just a tiny one, displaying a DateTime in a razor view...
code:
@DateTime.Parse(model.Date.ToString()).ToLongDateString()

So he took a date, made it a string, parsed a date from that string and turned that date into a string...

:psypop:

That's some inception horror there.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2011 21:58

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

code:

<?php
//namespace SECRETNAMESPACE;

class DO_SecretTable {

	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column0;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column1;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column2;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column3;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column4;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column5;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column6;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column7;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column8;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column9;
	/** 
	* @var string
	*/ 	
	var $Column10;
}

?>

It goes to 46

# ¿ Aug 5, 2011 21:19

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Hughlander posted:

This is mild for the thread but I need to vent since the person who wrote this left the company right before shipping and left me to take over their systems...

How do you know when you need to refactor someone's code?

When a 300 line function ends with:
code:
                                                }
                                          }
                                    }
                              }                       
                        }
                  }
            }
      }
}

I see your bid and raise you!

code:

}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
									}
								}
							}
						}
					}
				}
			}
		}
	}
}

This is out in the real world. Note: A lot of white space was removed to prevent table breakage.

# ¿ Sep 13, 2011 20:48

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

code:

if( phoneNumber.length() > 0 )
{
	if( phoneNumber != null )
	{
		doStuff();
	}
}

# ¿ Jan 27, 2012 22:12

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 08:20

Lysandus: Jun 21, 2010

Ok, which of you did this.
Fizz Buzz Enterprise Edition

# ¿ May 20, 2013 14:39

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > The Cavern of COBOL > Coding Horrors: You can gather all your technical debt into one easy framework!