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Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns

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  • JonBJ JonB

    @kshegunov
    I am just reporting that the "Pythonic" way to do division, where the divisor might be zero, is to do the divide unconditionally and catch the exception. As soon as I see "Pythonic" I tend to ignore it, and do what I'd do in C++ instead, but that's just me :)

    What I can show you is the following output:

    >>> z = 1 / 0
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
    ZeroDivisionError: division by zero
    >>> z = 1.5 / 0.0
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
    ZeroDivisionError: float division by zero
    >>> 
    

    So you get a ZeroDivisionError either way (which you could catch in a try ... except ZeroDivisionError), though by the look of it the error message distinguishes between plain division by zero versus float division by zero :)

    kshegunovK Offline
    kshegunovK Offline
    kshegunov
    Moderators
    wrote on last edited by
    #95

    @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

    As soon as I see "Pythonic" I tend to ignore it, and do what I'd do in C++ instead, but that's just me

    You're a wise man ... ;)

    What I can show you is the following output

    Thanks, curiosity satisfied. So python just raises an exception even if dividing by a double(0) is a valid operation. Fair enough.

    Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

    JonBJ 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • kshegunovK kshegunov

      @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

      As soon as I see "Pythonic" I tend to ignore it, and do what I'd do in C++ instead, but that's just me

      You're a wise man ... ;)

      What I can show you is the following output

      Thanks, curiosity satisfied. So python just raises an exception even if dividing by a double(0) is a valid operation. Fair enough.

      JonBJ Offline
      JonBJ Offline
      JonB
      wrote on last edited by JonB
      #96

      @kshegunov
      I don't want to get into a debate (I know what you're like :) ), and I do know about floating point numbers being approximate representations (though zero/0.0 does have an exact representation), but (IMHO!) it is only in your physics/quantum mechanics area that "dividing by a double(0) is a valid operation" (the area where you can magic-away infinities and so on!). In a program it is not. (What have I let myself in for...!)

      kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • JonBJ JonB

        @kshegunov
        I don't want to get into a debate (I know what you're like :) ), and I do know about floating point numbers being approximate representations (though zero/0.0 does have an exact representation), but (IMHO!) it is only in your physics/quantum mechanics area that "dividing by a double(0) is a valid operation" (the area where you can magic-away infinities and so on!). In a program it is not. (What have I let myself in for...!)

        kshegunovK Offline
        kshegunovK Offline
        kshegunov
        Moderators
        wrote on last edited by
        #97

        @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

        I know what you're like

        Hey! Words can hurt, you know! ;)

        though zero/0.0 does have an exact representation

        Yes, actually two representations, as with the actual zero. You have +0.0 and -0.0.

        it is only in your physics/quantum mechanics area that "dividing by a double(0) is a valid operation"

        Eh, I didn't write the IEEE standard. Take your beef with prof. Kahan.

        In a program it is not

        Actually if you look through the math.h implementations you're going to see a lot of handling for such cases. For example the people who wrote them had the decency to actually handle these special cases like log(0) returning -inf. While I agree it's not often useful to divide by zero it sometimes can be, so that's the reason to handle it like that, I assume.

        Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

        JonBJ 1 Reply Last reply
        5
        • kshegunovK kshegunov

          @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

          I know what you're like

          Hey! Words can hurt, you know! ;)

          though zero/0.0 does have an exact representation

          Yes, actually two representations, as with the actual zero. You have +0.0 and -0.0.

          it is only in your physics/quantum mechanics area that "dividing by a double(0) is a valid operation"

          Eh, I didn't write the IEEE standard. Take your beef with prof. Kahan.

          In a program it is not

          Actually if you look through the math.h implementations you're going to see a lot of handling for such cases. For example the people who wrote them had the decency to actually handle these special cases like log(0) returning -inf. While I agree it's not often useful to divide by zero it sometimes can be, so that's the reason to handle it like that, I assume.

          JonBJ Offline
          JonBJ Offline
          JonB
          wrote on last edited by JonB
          #98

          @kshegunov said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

          You have +0.0 and -0.0

          The next time someone asks how much money I have in my pocket I will remember to give this answer.

          I have $123.45 to give away. I want to hand each person $0.00. How many people do I need to meet to get rid of all my cash? :)

          kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • JonBJ JonB

            @kshegunov said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

            You have +0.0 and -0.0

            The next time someone asks how much money I have in my pocket I will remember to give this answer.

            I have $123.45 to give away. I want to hand each person $0.00. How many people do I need to meet to get rid of all my cash? :)

            kshegunovK Offline
            kshegunovK Offline
            kshegunov
            Moderators
            wrote on last edited by
            #99

            Here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riemann_series_theorem
            Knock yourself out ... ;P

            Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

            1 Reply Last reply
            1
            • fcarneyF Offline
              fcarneyF Offline
              fcarney
              wrote on last edited by
              #100

              Be careful with not doing things the pythonic way in python. A lot of the time doing it the pythonic way leverages the internals of the language. In other words it pushes the execution from the interpreter to the built in methods that are written in C. So it can have an effect on performance. I don't think the exception example does this though. There may be other reasons I am not aware of.

              C++ is a perfectly valid school of magic.

              1 Reply Last reply
              1
              • Kent-DorfmanK Offline
                Kent-DorfmanK Offline
                Kent-Dorfman
                wrote on last edited by
                #101

                wait a cotton pickin minute! there is no explicit cast to double in python so the x/double(0) argument is invalid on that basis alone...and x/float(0) behaves as expected.

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • fcarneyF Offline
                  fcarneyF Offline
                  fcarney
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #102

                  Uncomfortable admission:
                  I wrote windows specfic code today...

                  C++ is a perfectly valid school of magic.

                  sierdzioS 1 Reply Last reply
                  3
                  • fcarneyF fcarney

                    Uncomfortable admission:
                    I wrote windows specfic code today...

                    sierdzioS Offline
                    sierdzioS Offline
                    sierdzio
                    Moderators
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #103

                    @fcarney said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                    Uncomfortable admission:
                    I wrote windows specfic code today...

                    We feel for you :D

                    (Z(:^

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    2
                    • fcarneyF Offline
                      fcarneyF Offline
                      fcarney
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #104

                      Here is a nice QML anti-pattern:

                      Column {
                          Rectangle {
                              height: parent.height
                          }
                      }
                      

                      This one was "fun". Yeah, it doesn't necessarily detect the loop and it locks up the desktop (Gnome). So you have to kill the process manually from a terminal outside of the desktop (ctrl-alt-f4).

                      C++ is a perfectly valid school of magic.

                      ODБOïO 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • fcarneyF fcarney

                        Here is a nice QML anti-pattern:

                        Column {
                            Rectangle {
                                height: parent.height
                            }
                        }
                        

                        This one was "fun". Yeah, it doesn't necessarily detect the loop and it locks up the desktop (Gnome). So you have to kill the process manually from a terminal outside of the desktop (ctrl-alt-f4).

                        ODБOïO Offline
                        ODБOïO Offline
                        ODБOï
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #105

                        @fcarney said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                        Gnome

                        this code works properly on windows with Qt_5_14_0_MinGW_64_bit

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • JonBJ Offline
                          JonBJ Offline
                          JonB
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #106

                          From https://forum.qt.io/topic/113223/check-whether-a-script-exists-by-script-name/14

                          QProcess process;
                          process.setStandardOutputFile(QProcess::nullDevice());
                          if (!process.startDetached(progName, args))
                          ...
                          

                          Would anyone care to comment on why C++ allows calling a static method off an instance without (seemingly) offering the option of a warning message for it? :) (C# doesn't let me write this.)

                          kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • SGaistS Offline
                            SGaistS Offline
                            SGaist
                            Lifetime Qt Champion
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #107

                            AFAIK, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just that in the case you are showing, the static method has a specific behaviour that makes it unsuitable to be called like that.

                            Interested in AI ? www.idiap.ch
                            Please read the Qt Code of Conduct - https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            2
                            • JonBJ JonB

                              From https://forum.qt.io/topic/113223/check-whether-a-script-exists-by-script-name/14

                              QProcess process;
                              process.setStandardOutputFile(QProcess::nullDevice());
                              if (!process.startDetached(progName, args))
                              ...
                              

                              Would anyone care to comment on why C++ allows calling a static method off an instance without (seemingly) offering the option of a warning message for it? :) (C# doesn't let me write this.)

                              kshegunovK Offline
                              kshegunovK Offline
                              kshegunov
                              Moderators
                              wrote on last edited by kshegunov
                              #108

                              @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                              Would anyone care to comment on why C++ allows calling a static method off an instance without (seemingly) offering the option of a warning message for it? :) (C# doesn't let me write this.)

                              Because the class is known and that's all that matters. Whether you call it through an object or with its qualified name makes no difference. Actually, there's one widespread use of that in the Qt documentation:

                              int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                              {
                                  QApplication app(argc, argv);
                                  return app.exec(); // QCoreApplication::exec is static
                              }
                              

                              Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                              JonBJ 1 Reply Last reply
                              2
                              • kshegunovK kshegunov

                                @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                                Would anyone care to comment on why C++ allows calling a static method off an instance without (seemingly) offering the option of a warning message for it? :) (C# doesn't let me write this.)

                                Because the class is known and that's all that matters. Whether you call it through an object or with its qualified name makes no difference. Actually, there's one widespread use of that in the Qt documentation:

                                int main(int argc, char *argv[])
                                {
                                    QApplication app(argc, argv);
                                    return app.exec(); // QCoreApplication::exec is static
                                }
                                
                                JonBJ Offline
                                JonBJ Offline
                                JonB
                                wrote on last edited by JonB
                                #109

                                @kshegunov
                                But that is not my point/question. Which is: this piece of code is not the first (or the last) where someone has mistakenly written this. If C++ wants it this way, would it not be a good idea by now for compilers to offer a warning option? There is reason that e.g. C# does not allow it.

                                kshegunovK 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • fcarneyF Offline
                                  fcarneyF Offline
                                  fcarney
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #110

                                  "Within C++, there is a much smaller and cleaner language struggling to get out."
                                  ...
                                  "And no, that smaller and cleaner language is not Java or C#."
                                  Bjarne Stroustrup

                                  C++ is a perfectly valid school of magic.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • JonBJ JonB

                                    @kshegunov
                                    But that is not my point/question. Which is: this piece of code is not the first (or the last) where someone has mistakenly written this. If C++ wants it this way, would it not be a good idea by now for compilers to offer a warning option? There is reason that e.g. C# does not allow it.

                                    kshegunovK Offline
                                    kshegunovK Offline
                                    kshegunov
                                    Moderators
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #111

                                    @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                                    If C++ wants it this way, would it not be a good idea by now for compilers to offer a warning option?

                                    If this were a potential error, probably. Since this is almost always safe there's no reason to offer a warning.

                                    There is reason that e.g. C# does not allow it.

                                    Which is what exactly?

                                    Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                                    jsulmJ 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • kshegunovK kshegunov

                                      @JonB said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                                      If C++ wants it this way, would it not be a good idea by now for compilers to offer a warning option?

                                      If this were a potential error, probably. Since this is almost always safe there's no reason to offer a warning.

                                      There is reason that e.g. C# does not allow it.

                                      Which is what exactly?

                                      jsulmJ Offline
                                      jsulmJ Offline
                                      jsulm
                                      Lifetime Qt Champion
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #112

                                      @kshegunov I think the point from @JonB is that people do call static methods on an object by mistake and then wander why the object is not changed (I sometimes see this here in the forums). The compiler could generate a warning, but I doubt people would care enough about those if they do not even notice what they do wrongly :-)

                                      https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct

                                      J.HilkJ kshegunovK 2 Replies Last reply
                                      1
                                      • jsulmJ jsulm

                                        @kshegunov I think the point from @JonB is that people do call static methods on an object by mistake and then wander why the object is not changed (I sometimes see this here in the forums). The compiler could generate a warning, but I doubt people would care enough about those if they do not even notice what they do wrongly :-)

                                        J.HilkJ Offline
                                        J.HilkJ Offline
                                        J.Hilk
                                        Moderators
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #113

                                        @jsulm said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                                        but I doubt people would care enough about those

                                        They don't I have taken over projects that hat on first compile 20k + warnings...

                                        "Every time you compile with warnings, a fairy dies! So don't forget to clap your hands during compile time. Once for each fairy!"


                                        Be aware of the Qt Code of Conduct, when posting : https://forum.qt.io/topic/113070/qt-code-of-conduct


                                        Q: What's that?
                                        A: It's blue light.
                                        Q: What does it do?
                                        A: It turns blue.

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                                        • jsulmJ jsulm

                                          @kshegunov I think the point from @JonB is that people do call static methods on an object by mistake and then wander why the object is not changed (I sometimes see this here in the forums). The compiler could generate a warning, but I doubt people would care enough about those if they do not even notice what they do wrongly :-)

                                          kshegunovK Offline
                                          kshegunovK Offline
                                          kshegunov
                                          Moderators
                                          wrote on last edited by kshegunov
                                          #114

                                          @jsulm said in Recurring C++ and Qt anti-patterns:

                                          @kshegunov I think the point from @JonB is that people do call static methods on an object by mistake and then wander why the object is not changed (I sometimes see this here in the forums).

                                          Yes, I acknowledged that, but it's not an error, nor does it warrant a warning in my mind. One just have to know what they're doing/expecting of said method, which is good approach in every case. ;)

                                          The compiler could generate a warning, but I doubt people would care enough about those if they do not even notice what they do wrongly :-)

                                          That's why I compile with warnings-are-errors before I even consider deploying. The other option is just abysmal ... and can be dangerous depending on which field you're working in. So to everyone out there that ignores warnings: fix your freaking code!

                                          Read and abide by the Qt Code of Conduct

                                          JonBJ 1 Reply Last reply
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