Covariance with Smart Pointers
Covariance can be a useful concept, e.g. when implementing the abstract factory design pattern. However, in modern C++, we should return smart pointers that are not recognized to be covariant like […]
Clean Code
Visitor Pattern Part 2 – the enum based visitor
In my last post I showed the Visitor design pattern in its fully object oriented implementation. In the post before that I wrote about moving from enums to class hierarchies. I […]
Visitor Pattern Part 1- the Object Oriented Way
If you have read the “Gang of Four” book about design patterns or just have been long enough in software development, you will have heard of the Visitor pattern. In its fully […]
Enum vs. Class Hierarchies
When an enum controls the behavior of a class, that behavior can sometimes be expressed by class hierarchies.
Strings vs. Enumerators
Sometimes, a fixed set of string values is allowed as input. Often these string values are then stored, used for control flow etc. Enumerators are a better alternative.
Do Domain Specific Languages add Complexity to Plain C++?
C++ itself is complex enough. Adding domain specific languages can seem like yet another addition to that complexity. So why would we use a DSL instead of a normal library?
Use a static analyzer or two
In the last two posts I have written about compiler warnings. There’s much more to getting hints about code smells and potentially problematic pieces of code than that. That’s the job […]
Compiler Warnings Part 2 – Tune the Compiler
In the last post I wrote about how to change our code to avoid getting compiler warnings. Sometimes that is not a feasible approach and we need to tell your compiler […]
Compiler Warnings Part 1 – Treat Them Right
We often see compiler warnings about pieces of code that have potential problems or poor style. Sometimes they point out code that is actually wrong, so don’t ignore them.
Get rid of those cheat sheets!
This is another post motivated by Twitter: It’s about those cheat sheets, for example those showing C++ operator precedence, that some people have stick to their monitor or cubicle wall. Unless they […]