RE: [Xenocide-programming] Fritz here, Font/Text renderer header files.

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I am glad to hear that you are busy with Xenocide coding and that you =
are
doing progress. Keep it going!

As for the style question, I would treat static const variable same as
defines, so I would use define style to name it, that is _DEFAULT.

-----Original Message-----
From: xen...@li...
[mailto:xen...@li...] On Behalf Of =
Ed
Ray
Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2003 11:58 PM
To: xen...@li...
Subject: RE: [Xenocide-programming] Fritz here, Font/Text renderer =
header
files.

At 11:14 PM 8/3/2003 -0500, you wrote:

I was planning on writing a style guide for the coders here, using bits =
of
wisdom gleaned from conversations very similar to this. Of course, that =
is
in addition to the other work I already have.

On the plus side, I am fairly close to getting done with the text =
renderer.
I am writing cpp code now, and testing it as I go along. It should be =
fully
compatible with the old renderer code, and I will mark any backwards
compatibility code that should be removed once the old code is taken =
out.

A problem I have encountered is: I am working on a MSVC devpack, and for
some unknown reason (to me as of right now), the geoscape's logic works
differently from Borland to MSVC. There has been a problem where the MS
compiler does not execute the RTTI type statments quite correctly, or at
least they are different from borland's, because I am not sure what the
proper functionality is, I just know how each of them work. That is a
problem that I found out how to bypass, but I am running into another
problem that I have not found out the reason behind yet, and I decided =
not
to until I am done at least with the text renderer. Essentially, when =
you
click the mouse, the mousedown events go in the correct order, but the
mouseup events are not executing right. Specifically, the object that =
does
most of the stuff is setting the mouse button down value to false before =
it
can ever execute any useful statements.

Anyway, yeah, I'll find out why those are happening and propose ways to
patch the problem.

I had one question: I use a const static variable in my program, and I =
was
wondering whether I should name it as per the #defined stuff (_DEFAULT),
since it is only being used for the exact reason stated below, or if I
should name it as per a normal variable (default).

>Thanks for the reply.
>
>I am not going to argue about naming convention. There will never be a=20
>winner in such argument.
>
>As for performance issues, I agree with what is said below. It is not=20
>something I did not hear before. And it makes sense. I just thought=20
>that such issues must be taken care of by compiler, but I guess we=20
>cannot count that all compilers do that.
>
>As an afterthought about such discussion, I guess we need to come up=20
>with some basic rules for code optimization which every programmer must =

>follow. We could have a FAQ or something on Sourceforge. What do you=20
>say?
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: xen...@li...
>[mailto:xen...@li...] On Behalf Of=20
>Federico Andr=E9s Lois
>Sent: Sunday, August 03, 2003 5:40 PM
>To: xen...@li...
>Subject: Re: [Xenocide-programming] Fritz here, Font/Text renderer=20
>header files.
>
>
>Well the point with using defines instead of const int for that, do not =

>have a big impact on code writability, however, from the perspective of =

>readability check this two codes...
>
>-----------------------------------------
>const Real pi =3D 3.1416
>
>Real f ( Real argument )
>{
>    return (2 * pi * argument );
>};
>-----------------------------------------
>#define _PI 3.1416
>
>Real f (Real argument )
>{
>    return (2 * _PI * argument);
>};
>-----------------------------------------
>Now from the point of view of static code analysis, using our=20
>conventions you can see that in the second case 2 * _PI is a constant=20
>that will be precalculated by the compiler. In the first one, you can=20
>be misleaded to think that pi is a variable (even though pi is not, you =

>can find real life names that will) or worst a global variable. So if=20
>you can diferenciate them in code via names, you are making a more=20
>readable code... Now you can argue that we can use a naming convention=20
>similar for that kind of constants,
>then: What is the difference between a const Real in a function and a
>conventional constant const Real?
>
>>From the compiled code point of view, when you use the define the 2 *
>>_PI
>instruction is optimized by the compiler as 6,2832 and then the=20
>compiled code looks like this:
>
>(I will take some poetic license here creating a special symbolic=20
>assemblet, but it works to show the point)
>
>S - Stack Frame Pointer (where the function begins)
>
>MOV register0, S[argumentOffset];
>MULT register0, register0, 6,2832;
>MOV S[returnOffset], register0;
>
>in the second place you need an optimizing compiler to get that,=20
>however, because C++ have to support separate compilation if the=20
>constant you are using is defined and initialized in another file=20
>(module) then the compiler cannot know the real value (even though it=20
>wont be changed). So because of that limitations the best code you will =

>get will look like this.
>
>MOV register0, S[argumentOffset];
>MOV register1, [piAddress];
>MULT register0, register0, 2;
>MULT register0, register0, register1;
>MOV S[returnOffset], register0;
>
>So If there is not a need to use complex structures, like in the case=20
>of vectors or matrices, where all identity ones are already defined as=20
>the latest kind of constants (because of a performance issue that I=20
>will explain
>below) you should use defines... The case with that objects for =
instance is
>the next:
>
>We have some MiscRGBAColor objects already created. So we have=20
>miscColorBlack, miscColorRed and so on... now you have created n=20
>objects codifing colors. You can use defines too, suppose you want to=20
>define the red color..
>
>#define _REDRGBACOLOR MiscRGBAColor (1,0,0,0);
>
>So for every place you have _REDRGBACOLOR in your code you are creating =

>a new object instance. But there is something more sinister in this.=20
>The scope of MiscRGBAColor is validated by the inclusion of an include=20
>statement, and the #define is not, because that is a precompiler=20
>macro... so that can create some difficult to diagnose compilation=20
>problems. So appart from the performance issues, there is some other=20
>problems that have to be addressed...
>
>Now, when to use defines and when to use const values? Easy, you have=20
>to use defines when the type of the expression you used can be known by =

>the compiler on compilation like characters, strings, integers, real=20
>numbers, etc.... You cant use them with user defined objects, so for=20
>that you have const values...
>
>Greetings
>Red Knight
>
>
>
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Ed Ray
--
Ed...@tu...
ICQ: 2271040

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