Bugs and Suggestions

Michael Dunn3-Nov-02 5:01

Michael Dunn

3-Nov-02 5:01

void F( CString& s ) { s.MakeLower(); }
 
const CString x("BOB");
F(x);
 
error C2664: 'F' : cannot convert parameter 1 from 'const class CString' to 'class CString &'

VC catches that error just fine.

You can also get the MFC 6 redistributables from http://activex.microsoft.com/controls/vc/mfc42.cab[^]

--Mike--
"I'd rather you just give me a fish today, because even if you teach me how to fish, I won't do it. I'm lazy." -- Nish
Just released - 1ClickPicGrabber - Grab & organize pictures from your favorite web pages, with 1 click!
My really out-of-date homepage
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Stephane Rodriguez.3-Nov-02 6:15

Stephane Rodriguez.

3-Nov-02 6:15

Try this :

void F( CString& s ) { s.MakeLower(); }
CStringArray arrS; // MFC coll<br>
arrS.Add( CString("bob") );

F( arrS.GetAt(0) );

This compiles fine with VC6, and produces a C2664 error with VC7.

The answer is in the actual source code. Blame MS (as usual for being morons, ie changing code guidelines without notice).

In MFC6, the GetAt() accessor is defined as : CString GetAt(int nIndex) const;
In MFC7, the same accessor is defined as : const CString& GetAt(INT_PTR nIndex) const;

I am not interested in the Graus'ian debate of whether const is good or not. I am just saying THE CODE DOES NOT COMPILE WITH VC7. I think it's simple enough to understand.

And if you enforce const stuff with VC7 code, people willing to downgrade it to VC6 code will have the equivalent issues. Again, this will not compile without changing the implementation, or even worse : the API.

Michael Dunn wrote:
You can also get the MFC 6 redistributables from http://activex.microsoft.com/controls/vc/mfc42.cab

Thanks for the link. Do you assume that everyone knows this link ? Do you assume anyone is willing to get beyond the simple "missing MFC42.dll" error when testing precompiled stuff ? This takes time, and it's annoying. Facing that with .NET (you probably know the "missing mscoree.dll") in the past, my point was to never go back to anything related to .NET.
The fact is I got VS.NET to play with, and things began to get better. But the average Joe user will spit on you for providing him with such things.
The answers are obvious to me. If we don't find a better way to share these kind of resources from now on, this will may be turn out to be the death of CodeProject. For a lot of people, an executable demo from an article failing to execute is showing how unreliable it can be.
Of course, that's only my point. Now you know.

Back to real work : D-27.

peterchen4-Nov-02 13:25

peterchen

4-Nov-02 13:25

a) why would you pass a temporary object as a non-const ref anyway?
I agree, though, that people sholud try there code before checking for compatibility
b)A developers system that does not have VC6 runtime? I catch that beast almost before I install windows... And if the runtime is not present, a quick question in the forums will help. I don't consider this as an "incompatibility", and Nish would certainly not want people to include the MFC runtime in their project downloads. Should C# projects include the .NET runtime as well?

peterchen - a bit puzzled

Auch den Schatten will ich lieben weil ich manchmal lieber frier' Rosenstolz [sighist]

UI suggestions for the voting

Stephane Rodriguez.4-Nov-02 19:15

Stephane Rodriguez.

4-Nov-02 19:15

peterchen wrote:
a) why would you pass a temporary object as a non-const ref anyway?

You can't question it. That's the way it is. For instance, I do it all the time for performance reasons.

peterchen wrote:
I agree, though, that people sholud try there code before checking for compatibility

Yes, but people DON'T do it, in much the same way nobody tests an html code for compatibility with Opera 5, Opera, 6, Netscape 4.x, Netscape 6, Mozilla, IE 4, IE5, IE.5, IE6, MSN Explorer.

If I run an .exe, and it fails, I may simply give up. That's too bad. But I belive many people would do so, and CodeProject as a whole suffers a lot.

peterchen wrote:
And if the runtime is not present, a quick question in the forums will help

You can't be serious. Nobody will wait for an answer before moving on.

peterchen wrote:
Should C# projects include the .NET runtime as well?

That's the main issue I am fighting against for a quarter already. Especially I have told many times MS people it was a shame that not only when an incompatible .NET run-time is installed, the user gets a nasty and weird messagebox, and that's all. A modern framework should have handled it better and managed to show a nice wizard, go to the web, download, etc...

Honestly, I don't have to care about it, and could assume that every developer has the same working environment as I do. That's foolish, and lazy at the very least.
That's why VCx compliant logos must be introduced before CodeProject has changed to be a simple sh*tty site.
That's simple, people check the VC7 box only if they actually compiled it and tested it in that environment. Today they don't do it, simply assume that the .dsw/.dsp project will nicely upgrade.

Back to real work : D-26.

Michael Dunn1-Nov-02 15:31

Michael Dunn

1-Nov-02 15:31

The numbers are rather small and hard to click on. Some extra space around them would be nice to make the target area larger. Something like:

<a> 1 </a>-<a> 2 </a>-<a> 3 </a>-

and so on.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

Also, instead of that evil popup window to confirm a vote, why not use DHTML and change the voting area into the "your vote was recorded" message. The user is already looking there so they will see the message, and it avoids a popup.

--Mike--
"I'd rather you just give me a fish today, because even if you teach me how to fish, I won't do it. I'm lazy." -- Nish
Just released - 1ClickPicGrabber - Grab & organize pictures from your favorite web pages, with 1 click!
My really out-of-date homepage
Sonork-100.19012 Acid_Helm

Rohit Sinha2-Nov-02 10:23

Rohit Sinha

2-Nov-02 10:23

I think the pop-up is there to send the data back to the server, and not just to inform the user.

What could be done, in my opinion, is to have a pop-under instead of a pop-up to send the data (the pop-under can auto close itself after it sends the data --> is that even possible?), and DHTML to change the voting area as you said.

Or a small IFRAME.

We also need to update the FAQ and include stuff about this new feature. But let things settle down a bit.

Regards,

Rohit Sinha

Chris Maunder3-Nov-02 15:35

Chris Maunder

3-Nov-02 15:35

A pop-under is no different to a pop-up. Auto-closing is possibly. An IFRAME is also possible but will only work for IE or NS6 or above. It'll happen in message rating v1.2

cheers,
Chris Maunder

Nick Parker3-Nov-02 15:58

Nick Parker

3-Nov-02 15:58

Chris Maunder wrote:
An IFRAME is also possible but will only work for IE or NS6 or above.

Compliance, compliance, compliance. Don't you wish that you didn't have to be compliant for once. Smile | :)

Chris Maunder wrote:
It'll happen in message rating v1.2

I love versioning... Wink | ;)

Nick Parker

May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead. - Irish Blessing

Paul Watson3-Nov-02 20:35

Paul Watson

3-Nov-02 20:35

Nick Parker wrote:
Compliance, compliance, compliance. Don't you wish that you didn't have to be compliant for once

All he has to do is be stadards compliant and he can use IFRAMEs up to the ying yang. Wink | ;)

Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa

Ray Cassick wrote:
Well I am not female, not gay and I am not Paul Watson

peterchen4-Nov-02 13:27

peterchen

4-Nov-02 13:27

Unhappily, the Standard is not world compliant. Cool | :cool:

Auch den Schatten will ich lieben weil ich manchmal lieber frier' Rosenstolz [sighist]

link to amazon

Philip Fitzsimons1-Nov-02 7:19

Philip Fitzsimons

1-Nov-02 7:19

is it possible to get the link to amazon on toolbox to be country specific - so for me it would be .co.uk rather than .com

Cool | :cool:

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."

Re: link to amazon

Nnamdi Onyeyiri2-Nov-02 2:27

Nnamdi Onyeyiri

2-Nov-02 2:27

Philip Fitzsimons wrote:
is it possible to get the link to amazon on toolbox to be country specific - so for me it would be .co.uk rather than .com

thats a good idea. i didnt even realise that was there - you learn something new every day Smile | :)

1001111111011101111100111100101011110011110100101110010011010010
Sonork | 100.21142 | TheEclypse

new forum

Jason Henderson31-Oct-02 10:05

Jason Henderson

31-Oct-02 10:05

PDA/Palm development

Jason Henderson
_{start page}
^articles
^{"If you are going through hell, keep going." - Sir Winston Churchill}

Re: new forum

Paul Watson1-Nov-02 4:03

Paul Watson

1-Nov-02 4:03

Jason Henderson wrote:
PDA/Palm development

LOL! Now there is a good suggestion. The Lounge sometimes becomes Palm Dev Talk day.

Now that Palm might be supporting the .NET Compact Framework I am sure a .NET Compact Framework/Handhelds forum would be a good idea for CP.

Paul Watson
Bluegrass
Cape Town, South Africa

Ray Cassick wrote:
Well I am not female, not gay and I am not Paul Watson

Re: new forum

Philip Fitzsimons1-Nov-02 6:57

Philip Fitzsimons

1-Nov-02 6:57

yeah i vote for a ".NET Compact Framework" area

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."

Noise Filters

Brian Delahunty31-Oct-02 9:42

Brian Delahunty

31-Oct-02 9:42

Chris,

Just noticed that once you set the noise level it's the same on all the forums [I presume it's saved through the use of cookies?].

Think it might be a good idea if you could set different noise filter levels for different forums. Just a thought.

[Moved from the lounge]

Regards,
Brian Dela Smile | :)

Shog⁹31-Oct-02 14:39

Shog⁹

31-Oct-02 14:39

Brian Delahunty wrote:
Think it might be a good idea if you could set different noise filter levels for different forums.

Yeah, that would be cool.

Shog⁹
~~------~~

Living in Australia, it's the next best thing to being in the Middle East - Taka Muraoka, Clickety..., 10/30/02

Chris Maunder1-Nov-02 3:37

Chris Maunder

1-Nov-02 3:37

9000 forums, 52,000 users. Storing settings for each user for each forum would be fantastic, but the overhead it would cause isn't worth the benefit at the moment. When I can convince Compaq or someone to donate a 4-head 2GHz, 4Gb Xeon to a good cause (ie me) then I'll do it Wink | ;)

cheers,
Chris Maunder

Brian Delahunty1-Nov-02 3:41

Brian Delahunty

1-Nov-02 3:41

Chris Maunder wrote:
9000 forums, 52,000 users.

Oh yeah!!!

Chris Maunder wrote:
When I can convince Compaq or someone to donate a 4-head 2GHz, 4Gb Xeon to a good cause (ie me) then I'll do it

Cool. Not be happening in the near future then??? Cry | :((

Would be nice to get them to donate one... Just tell them you'll slap an advert on teh front page for a year. That'll convince them.

Regards,
Brian Dela Smile | :)

Philip Fitzsimons1-Nov-02 7:14

Philip Fitzsimons

1-Nov-02 7:14

compression?
or only record the forums that people set it for - so for example i use 4/5 forums and i guess thats pretty average - so the worst would be
3 bits (max five levels) + forum id [16 bits]: call it 20bits for luck
* 5 forums (average - ob. some user will have less, some more, but always way less than 9000)
* 52,000 users
= 5200,000 bits

which is not much space at all....

of course this relies on using a packed representation

"When the only tool you have is a hammer, a sore thumb you will have."

Chris Maunder1-Nov-02 8:21

Chris Maunder

1-Nov-02 8:21

Nothing worse than giving a flippant excuse to try and dodge work only to have someone point out the obvious piece of the puzzle you were trying to hide Wink | ;)

The issue isn't only the size of the data, it's the number of rows involved and the time taken to do the extra lookup.

cheers,
Chris Maunder