Linux Format forums

Hudzilla · Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:43 pm Post subject:

Hey!

Bazza: please do take any programming competitions into their own thread Smile

Marrea: I do a lot of C-like languages, like PHP, C#, C++, etc. These all have very similar syntax: lots of { and }, lots of ; and lots of ( and ).

A few months ago, I wrote a little library for Python called Gloss (www.tuxradar.com/gloss), which has quite a different syntax to C, so when I returned to C# I was making these kinds of errors all the time - missing braces, missing semi-colons, etc.

For me, because I have this C stuff on quite a deep level in my brain, it's pretty easy for me to get back into "C mode" after an hour or two. But for you it will take a little longer because it's your first time: you will stare at errors like this and have no idea what's causing it... but when you spot the fix, you'll remember it along with the symptoms, and be much faster to fix it next time.

There are lots of problems you'll come across, but the one I hate the most is the missing brace: you think you've closed a foreach loop, but actually you've just closed the Main() method, which means everything afterwards causes epic-level errors for MonoDevelop.

Fortunately, careful indenting of your code means it's fairly easy to find these problems. Also, newer versions of MonoDevelop dot little red scribbles around to show you when your code is wrong - it's not perfect, but it can often point you in the right direction.

Paul

1slipperyfish · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:18 pm Post subject:

i don't know whether you're a command line jockey or an ide person, but if you use eclipse or similar ide it will point out missing braces etc, admittedly it does make for lazy coding but it's just a suggestion, i always try to learn a new language using the command line as it teaches you to look for mistakes rather than having them auto-checked Very Happy

finding errors is just part of the learning process Very Happy

paul
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Ram · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:01 pm Post subject:

Marrea · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:52 pm Post subject:

Marrea · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 7:57 pm Post subject:

Hudzilla · Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:03 pm Post subject:

Code and build from the GUI; run from the command-line. This makes running commands with parameters so much easier!

Marrea · Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 12:33 pm Post subject: