03-21-2025, 08:16 PM
We've talked about this many times over the years. I'll have to do some digging and see if I can come up with the actual links to those conversations we had about things, and the stuff we decided upon.
Basically, the theme is just be as obvious, non-intrusive, and simple as possible.
1) Code everything with the idea that other people will use the library. All variables, arrays, and such must be defined so they don't toss errors if someone plugs them into code using Option _Explict, in other words.
2) Code everything assuming that the other people will have different defaults than you.
Example: DIM Foo(100) AS INTEGER
^ Seems almost impossible that something could go wrong with that statement alone. Right?
My first line of code is: OPTION BASE 1 <--- I just broke your library because you weren't expecting that! Your array Foo should go from 0 to 100, but my program only goes from 1 to 100... I get errors and can't run your library!
Solution: DIM Foo(0 TO 100) AS INTEGER
Spell it out, there's no problem. You avoid conflicts with option base.
Same with usage of $DYNAMIC or $STATIC or any other such things. *Don't* assume the other person has the same defaults on your system.
3) Don't SHARE common variables, for god's sake!!
DIM SHARED I, J, K <--- ARRRGGHHHHH!!!
The above is going to die in 99.9% of programs. Folks use those common names for temp loops and junk variables and everything else. If those are your shared variables, you're doing something wrong!
4) Restore settings after a call to/from a sub.
Example:
SUB foo
COLOR _RGB32(255, 255, 255), _RGB32(0, 0, 0)
'do stuff
END SUB
AAAAHHHHHHH!!! Your library just changed someone's settings and now they're no longer printing Red on Blue; they're now pooping White on Black text onto the screen! You corrupted their code!
Solution:
SUB foo
dc = _DEFAULTCOLOR: bg = _BACKGROUNDCOLOR
COLOR White, Black (I'm lazy.)
'do stuff
COLOR dc, bg (clean up and restore settings before exiting the sub for good)
END SUB
.
.
.
.
These were the basic style guidelines that we came up with. (There should be more of them, if I can ever find those old topics wherever they're hiding.) But, at the end of the day, the general concept is:
Make your code where it works as flexibly as possible, where it doesn't corrupt existing code, and where it doesn't rely on global settings matching your system's set up.
Basically, the theme is just be as obvious, non-intrusive, and simple as possible.
1) Code everything with the idea that other people will use the library. All variables, arrays, and such must be defined so they don't toss errors if someone plugs them into code using Option _Explict, in other words.
2) Code everything assuming that the other people will have different defaults than you.
Example: DIM Foo(100) AS INTEGER
^ Seems almost impossible that something could go wrong with that statement alone. Right?
My first line of code is: OPTION BASE 1 <--- I just broke your library because you weren't expecting that! Your array Foo should go from 0 to 100, but my program only goes from 1 to 100... I get errors and can't run your library!
Solution: DIM Foo(0 TO 100) AS INTEGER
Spell it out, there's no problem. You avoid conflicts with option base.
Same with usage of $DYNAMIC or $STATIC or any other such things. *Don't* assume the other person has the same defaults on your system.
3) Don't SHARE common variables, for god's sake!!
DIM SHARED I, J, K <--- ARRRGGHHHHH!!!
The above is going to die in 99.9% of programs. Folks use those common names for temp loops and junk variables and everything else. If those are your shared variables, you're doing something wrong!
4) Restore settings after a call to/from a sub.
Example:
SUB foo
COLOR _RGB32(255, 255, 255), _RGB32(0, 0, 0)
'do stuff
END SUB
AAAAHHHHHHH!!! Your library just changed someone's settings and now they're no longer printing Red on Blue; they're now pooping White on Black text onto the screen! You corrupted their code!
Solution:
SUB foo
dc = _DEFAULTCOLOR: bg = _BACKGROUNDCOLOR
COLOR White, Black (I'm lazy.)
'do stuff
COLOR dc, bg (clean up and restore settings before exiting the sub for good)
END SUB
.
.
.
.
These were the basic style guidelines that we came up with. (There should be more of them, if I can ever find those old topics wherever they're hiding.) But, at the end of the day, the general concept is:
Make your code where it works as flexibly as possible, where it doesn't corrupt existing code, and where it doesn't rely on global settings matching your system's set up.