3 ms·
If you think ObjC is verbose, take a look at this example of MonoTouch: http://img.skitch.com/20090914-cuu9mkrnjg864k88ywijur5ebk.jpg http://img.skitch.com/2009
by Zev 17y ago
If you think ObjC is verbose, take a look at this example of MonoTouch: http://img.skitch.com/20090914-cuu9mkrnjg864k88ywijur5ebk.jpg http://img.skitch.com/20090914-cuu9mkrnjg864k88ywijur5ebk.jp...
The equivalent ObjC code is:
IBOutlet UIWindow *window;
IBOutlet UILabel *label;
Also, your example isn't quite accurate. With the iPhone runtime, you only have to make the @property declaration in your interface and then @synthesize the variable in your implementation. #1 in your example isn't required. However, the Mac runtime doesn't support this — so by doing this, you're limited to only testing on a physical device (iPhone or iPod directly). Stick this class into a .m and compile it in Xcode targeting your iPhone and the Simulator respectively:
@interface Foo : NSObject {
// id bar; // Only required on Mac runtime or if you want to use the iPhone Simulator
}
@property (nonatomic, retain) id bar;
@end
@implementation Foo
@synthesize bar;
- (void) doSomethingWithBar {
self.bar = @"baz";
NSLog (@"%@", self.bar);
}
@end
@synthesize is useful to have because, well, what if you want @dynamic?
As for the rest of the verbosity? To take a canonical example,
string = [someString stringByTrimmingCharactersInSet:[NSCharacterSet whitespaceCharacterSet]];
is much clearer to me then
string.strip();
Or is there another example of its verbosity that you don't like? I don't find myself writing code that repeats itself very often. If I do, I'll refactor the code.
And I like that it has a tendency to have explicit method names: I can actually read my code months later when I need to go fix a bug. But thats my personal preference. If you disagree, its not my place to tell you otherwise.
- wvenable 17y agostring.strip() is a convenience, you can find a horribly verbose way to do it C# as well.
- antonovka 17y agoThe equivalent ObjC code is: ... MonoTouch appears to support Interface Builder as well. Also, your example isn't quite accurate. With the iPhone runtime, you only have to make the @property declaration in your interface and then @synthesize the variable in your implementation. However, the Mac runtime doesn't support this ... The reduction of three duplicate entries to two is admirable, but still ridiculous. Moreover, "However, the Mac runtime doesn't support this ..." is the key point here. You can't use them on the simulator or the Mac 32-bit runtime (which are the same). Additionally, prior to being corrected in 10.6, you couldn't access the synthesized ivars directly. @synthesize is useful to have because, well, what if you want @dynamic? Set an attribute on the @property declaration. Or is there another example of its verbosity that you don't like? I don't find myself writing code that repeats itself very often. If I do, I'll refactor the code out to its own method. Just like I would with any other language. I've never had trouble reading my Java, OCaml, or F# code years after I wrote it, but YMMV. In addition to the syntax, which stands on its own as a testament to monstrous verbosity, here are a few more off the top of my head: 1) Delegate/target pattern -- alerts, timers, etc. Your classes become a morass of delegate methods and hinky hijinks to pass what should be closure-captured state across disparate method calls. I don't want to make a mess of my classes by refactoring code to a distinct method if it doesn't belong in a distinct method. 2) Initializers. You wind up writing 3-6 different init methods, and then have to write 3-6 different class method short-cuts so you don't have to write '[[[Class alloc] initWithEverything: everything] autorelease]' everywhere. 3) Repeating myself. All the time. Why do I have to write header files? Java, C#, F#, OCaml, Python, Ruby -- none of them require me to duplicate my interface and implementation in two places. I understand that this is Objective-C, but in 2009, perhaps Apple should reconsider the C part?
- mdeicaza 17y agoThe code that you showed is automatically generated from the XIB file, the user never has to type it. When you discuss the @property compiler directive, you did not show the generated code, instead you opted to show the shortcut. With MonoTouch there is no need for any shortcuts; The entire backing store to any outlets are compiler generated.
- jongraehl 17y agoI sure would hate to have things like "stringByTrimmingCharactersInSet:[NSCharacterSet whitespaceCharacterSet]" in my programming life.