Originally posted by buntine
What!? Which programming languages do you use? Every MS technology I am familiar with allows it.
Well, sorry, if that is true then I guess I have an advantage over you. I don't just program in the languages of the Internet or for PCs. I program in many languages for midrange and mainframe computers, too. NONE of those languages allow ambiguous use of data types. Period.
Originally posted by buntine
You should not try to make yourself sound better than others. The least you could have said was "Here is the way I like to do it: ... This is advantageous because...".
You misjudge me. I think you chose to take personal insult where none was given. My statements are not only based on 25+ years of programming experience. If they were, then perhaps I would have said things in a way that would have eased your bruised ego. Instead, my statements are based upon what educators have drilled into my head over those same many years. Tell me, since I don't know you, are you actually trained in Information Science and Programming? ...or is programming something you have just "picked up" here and there? Do you also have a degree in the field?
If so, I think your education has actually been lacking. Just because a programming environment allows a thing, does not mean it is something that should actually be exploited as correct usage. Also, don't hold Microsoft technology up as some kind of Holy Grail. After all, look at all the criticism and downright condemnation Microsoft has received for its efforts to make client-side technology as powerful as server-side technology. Case in point... In spite of everything that JavaScript, and particularly IE's JScript, can do; practically all you hear at this website is that it shouldn't be used. Those who try to use it are actually vilified and ostracized for it.
No, thank you very much, but I'll stick to my guns. Purposely writing program code to be ambiguous is just plain wrong. This is especially true when absolutely no less functionality is given if such code is written with clear and obvious intent. Preferring the ambiguous over the obvious smacks of just plain laziness. Period.
Originally posted by buntine
Originally posted by phpnovice
Programmer thinks, "The Len() function returns a numeric result which is treated as a Boolean condition." Programmer may then get the idea that positive numbers, including decimals, greater than zero are treated as True and zero or negative numbers are treated as False.
In the conxext of an If Statment, this is true. Everyone should know that.[/B]
See?!? Even you, who think so highly of yourself, don't know VBScript well enough to know what is true about the If statement where numeric results are involved. My quote said that a programmer might think negative numbers are treated as a false conditional. You agreed with that and you are wrong. Instead, negative numbers are treated as true conditionals. Only the zero is treated as a false conditional. You just proved my point. Thank you.
I actually did say one thing incorrectly earlier, though.
Originally posted by phpnovice
The reason has to do with invalid use of the returned data subtype.
I did not mean to say it that way -- though this is not the statement that was picked on. Instead, this is what I meant:
"The reason has to do with ambiguous use of the returned data subtype."
Cheers.