Re: Alignment Nazi?

I don't think that there are absolutes here. What is more important is
that the code is consistent enough in style than anyone working on it
can pick up what it does. Some might argue that the alignment can
cause one to lose the details; everything becomes rows of stuff making
it harder to read lines across. Also the  spacing to make things line
up can cause lines to split where they might not have before, making
the code "harder" to read.

 If lining things up like this works for your team, great. But I don't
think that there are absolutes here. What is interesting for me is
this line:
>>I don't know why my brain finds this easier, it just does. What
amazes me, however, is how many of those I have worked with over the
years have no problem with the the former code layout.<<

It depends on what it is that you see as the problem: the fact that
some lines use the "columns" convention, but not all, or that some
code is not lined up.

Steve

On Sun, Apr 27, 2008 at 6:06 PM, gjmilne64 <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi!
>
> I am an Alignment Nazi. When I see a block of code like this:
>
>         final int         counts              = result.getCounts();
>         final int         periodMicros        = result.getMicros();
>         final Rate        rate                = new Rate(new
> Duration(periodMicros, Duration.MICROSECOND), counts);
>         final Current     reagentIntensity    = upsElectrometer.getValue();
>         final Current     productIntensity    = dwsElectrometer.getValue();
>         final Temperature flowtubeTemperature =
> flowtubeThermocouple.getValue();
>         final Pressure    flowtubePressure    =
> flowtubePressureGauge.getValue();
>         final FlowRate carrierFlow = reagent.getIon().isPositive() ?
> pcgFlowMeter.getValue() : nicgFlowMeter.getValue();
>         final FlowRate sampleFlow   = sampleFlowMeter.getValue();
>         final Duration reactionTime = getReactionTime(carrierFlow);
>         final Lut ICF_LUT =
> CONFIG.getLut(DefaultConfigIfc.ConfigId.ION_ICF_LUT);
>
> I find it so much easier to read when I change it to this:
>
>         final int         counts              = result.getCounts();
>         final int         periodMicros        = result.getMicros();
>         final Rate        rate                = new Rate(new
> Duration(periodMicros, Duration.MICROSECOND), counts);
>         final Current     reagentIntensity    = upsElectrometer.getValue();
>         final Current     productIntensity    = dwsElectrometer.getValue();
>         final Temperature flowtubeTemperature =
> flowtubeThermocouple.getValue();
>         final Pressure    flowtubePressure    =
> flowtubePressureGauge.getValue();
>         final FlowRate    carrierFlow         =
> reagent.getIon().isPositive() ? pcgFlowMeter.getValue() :
> nicgFlowMeter.getValue();
>         final FlowRate    sampleFlow          = sampleFlowMeter.getValue();
>         final Duration    reactionTime        =
> getReactionTime(carrierFlow);
>         final Lut         ICF_LUT             =
> CONFIG.getLut(DefaultConfigIfc.ConfigId.ION_ICF_LUT);
>
> Of course, this works so long as you use a monospaced font in your editor.
>
> The question I want to ask is "does my need for visual clarity excuse my
> fetish for alignment of equals signs in blocks of code"?
>
> My personal justification is that I can more easily assimilate the block of
> code if the left-hand side of variable names is clearly separated from the
> right-hand side of assignments. I don't know why my brain finds this easier,
> it just does. What amazes me, however, is how many of those I have worked
> with over the years have no problem with the the former code layout.
>
> Perhaps I should write a book (or blog) on the merits of "Pretty Code".
>
> Regards,
>
> Gordon
>  



-- 
Steve Berczuk | steve-Bvnk/[email protected] | http://www.berczuk.com
 SCM Patterns: Effective Teamwork, Practical Integration
 www.scmpatterns.com