How do you like your code examples?

Do you prefer your code examples with all of the good programming practices attached, or would you prefer simpler examples to which you can apply your own style of programming?

This question has been raised in the comments on the document/javascript:;. Tell us how you'd like the code examples that get posted to EDN.

Thanks,

Jerry

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Comments

XdctmX

I prefer code samples with all of the good programming practices attached

aashishpatil

All best practices for the following reasons -

- Code Samples demonstrate the correct means of using the API.

- Most code samples are used by developers as starters (copy-paste). Thus, the samples you post are going to propagate across applications developers build. Best that they propagate the correct code.

Aashish

EdSteenhoek

I agree with the two responses before: examples should be first class on any angle you look at them including coding practice.

I'm really suprised this is a point for debate.

From a vender perspective, you should be the role model and never ever compromise on this. It will hit you like a boomerang.

Maybe some poor examples are causing performance drawbacks. You don't to be the source for that.

That's why I believe that examples should have a well thought beginning and end as well.

If an example start by creating a session, there should be code provided as well that show how to close the session. Things like this make examples a well thought complete story.

Another example would be inline comments to make the code self explanatory outside EDN context. For sure these examples will be copied and used in the scary real life of implementations. When incidents may occur, the EDN context is long gone by then.

Regards,

lastnitescurry

Agree with Jerry approach 100%, disagree with all others

I have been programming 15 years... I know my error handling.... If I am confused about that or want to improve how I work (I still do), then I will search for details on good error handling.

I guess like a lot of things... it is impossible to satisfy every one who will read a posting... What can you do? At best put a disclaimer... which was already done...

The detail pros and cons of dropping, users and groups (and ACL) has been debated many times... To add all that, would hide the primary message Jerry was trying to get accross.

JorgenWortel

As Aashish123 Patil says a lot of code is simply re-used by developers. Therefore introducing the same problems in every project.

What I would like to see for example is full examples of how to do a good Method or TBO. A lot of the time you realise you missed something only after go-live. And since some developers never do maintenance they will never learn from their mistakes.

Francois Dauberlieu

Best practice of course. I'm a lazy man, if everything is already properly defined/formatted, I don't have to do it when I copy/paste stuff

jsilver

I think a best practice would be to include snippets in your article, then upload the full example as an attached file. It's probably not a good idea to embed what looks like a complete example but that misses some essential elements. Online articles will also be more readable if they don't have long code snippets breaking up the narrative.

Pie

I think the answer, like always, is depends...

If EMC is posting the code, it needs to have the error handling there. People will take it at face value and it will live forever.

If a non-EMC person is posting the code, then I feel that it is at their discretion. I would rather have a partial code chunk contributed to the community than no code because the person didn't want to spend the extra time to add it all in. That being said, I would hope that the contributer noted what was missing so that it was documented.

Take the recent post by Treve Bonser, Programmatically create and delete users, roles, and groups. He offers some useful code to the community. He made it look production ready when it needed some error handling and such. However, the code is useful. With a few disclaimers, or less items not core to the example, it would be perfect.

If you see code missing necessary structure, tell people what is missing. If you feel adventurous, post more detailed code.

-Pie

Francois Dauberlieu

Very good pints Laurence, I'm with you on that