getToolByName() vs. others - plone

What's the recommended method of accessing Plone persistent utilities and why?
getToolByName(context, "portal_url")
direct acquisition: context.portal_url
ITools interface
etc.

I think that the answer is in the code of getToolByName itself ( http://svn.zope.org/Products.CMFCore/trunk/Products/CMFCore/utils.py?view=markup ). That method does this:
as a first attempt it tries to get the desired tool by looking up for the interface with getUtility and including it in a context (that seems a good thing to me)
as a fallback it tries to directly acquire the tool from the source context
So the only method "to rule them all" seems to be: getToolByName
But, as #keul said, there's also the caching involved, and looking here ( http://collective-docs.readthedocs.org/en/latest/misc/context.html#itools-interface ) it is clear that using the ITools interface, when it doesn't fail due to tools that don't yet implement that interface, it's faster.
For the reasons above, in the end I'd suggest:
ITools (faster)
getToolByName (safer)
(as the direct acquisition is already tried by the getToolByName, if it fails, you won't have more fortune)

The use of ITools utilities must be the best method, as they are cached. However this sometimes gave me problems (related to portal_membership tool, but I don't remember details) so in that rare cases I switch to getToolByName.
The last one is the direct acquisition.

Related

differences in using or not http.Client

going on Flutter documentation I found that fetching data was done, sometimes, by using http.Client and sometimes not (just http.get for example). So I was wondering the purpose of using http.Client.
These are the two sites where I found this:
https://flutter.io/cookbook/networking/fetch-data/
https://flutter.io/cookbook/networking/background-parsing/
The http package uses a default IOClient when you use the convenience http.get and http.post methods. However, sometimes you might want to use a specialized Client, for example to change the default HTTPS certificate validation. See this question.
In this circumstance, you can create any Client subclass and use it in the ways shown in your second link. It's rarely necessary, though so the syntax used in your first link is normally sufficient.

Can we generate abstract Qt D-Bus adaptor classes?

I'm using the qdbusxml2cpp tool to generate a D-Bus adaptor class for my D-Bus server. However, it has the following drawbacks:
Code is generated once, and then you're not supposed to modify it. But what if we have to make changes (see below) and then the XML changes (in a backwards compatible way, of course)?
It is assumed that the "adaptee" has the exact same functions and signatures as the D-Bus interface. In my case, that's not exactly true, e.g. some methods are named differently. Because the generated code uses QMetaObject::invokeMethod, this is only detected at runtime. And we can't sensibly modify the generated code if we might need to regenerate it in the future.
It would be much nicer, in my opinion, if qdbusxml2cpp would generate an abstract class, just a header, where all methods are pure virtual. Then I can write an implementation of that class that simply calls the right methods on the adaptee, without going through the Qt metatype system. This solves both problems:
If the XML changes, we just regenerate the header. Now the compiler will complain until we implement the new interface correctly.
We have the freedom to call whatever functions we like on the "adaptee" class, instead of maintaining the exact same signature as in the public D-Bus interface.
I couldn't find any tool or qdbusxml2cpp fork that does the above. Before I write it myself, are there any problems with the above approach that I might be overlooking, design-wise or technical? Perhaps limitations of the metatype system related to abstract classes or pure virtual functions?
Note that I need this to work not just with methods, but with properties and signals as well.
I've also considered writing an "intermediate" adaptor that wraps the "adaptee" and offers the exact interface that the D-Bus adaptor expects, but the D-Bus adaptor would still be using the metatype system and runtime checks. Surely we can do better.
As you've discovered, there's no way to do what you want with qdbusxml2cpp directly. Which means that we have a few options here, some that you've already listed out:
It would be much nicer, in my opinion, if qdbusxml2cpp would generate an abstract class, just a header, where all methods are pure virtual.
There doesn't seem to be anything terribly wrong with this, although some tools/IDEs may not play nicely with it. One downside to this is that whenever something changes, you would have to ensure that you update all parts of the C++ source as well, not just your header, e.g. if there is boilerplate that has to change whenever a new method is added.
Code is generated once, and then you're not supposed to modify it. But what if we have to make changes (see below) and then the XML changes (in a backwards compatible way, of course)?
Depending on how well the code generator works, I've sometimes found it easier to simply use the generated code as a starting point and then simply modifying it from there. Most of the chages are generally pretty simple.
One other option that you could do is to use a different library to do the DBus communications.
dbus-cxx
dbus-cpp
dbus-cplusplus
I use(and maintain) dbus-cxx; there is a tool included(dbus-cxx-xml2cpp) that generates adaptee classes that are similar to the output of qdbusxml2cpp in that the adaptee class simply calls a different class that handles the actual response. The downside is that the xml2cpp tool is not that smart, and will not always output correct code. And to use dbus-cxx in a Qt application, you need to turn off the Qt keywords. However, it does have the advantage of using templated functions, so if your signature is incorrect you will get a compile error.
Unfortunately, there isn't really a good "right" way to do this, so I'm afraid that I don't have a "Do it this way" answer.

How to create multiple USE statements in sniff

I'm working on a sniff for PHP_CodeSniffer 3.x. For example, the class declaration class NoInlineFullyQualifiedClassNameUnitTestInc extends \PSR2R\Base\AbstractBase should be split into a uses and class AbstractBase. The sniff detects similar issues for method signatures.
I believe the problem is that I'm generating and inserting multiple use statements at the same line (i.e., same token), but doing so in separate fixer->beginChangeset() ... fixer->endChangeset() sequences. The fixer treats multiple sets of changes to the same token as a conflict, and things get messy (and wrong).
The GitHub issue is here: https://github.com/php-fig-rectified/psr2r-sniffer/issues/9
Has anyone figured out how to do this writing custom sniffs for the latest 3.x CodeSniffer?
You can also use SlevomatCodingStandard\Sniffs\Namespaces\ReferenceUsedNamesOnlySniff
It turns this
Into this
How to use it?
The best is to use it with EasyCodingStandard like this:
# easy-coding-standard.neon
checkers:
- SlevomatCodingStandard\Sniffs\Namespaces\ReferenceUsedNamesOnlySniff
Install it:
composer require --dev symplify\easy-coding-standard
Run it:
vendor/bin/ecs check src
Fix it:
vendor/bin/ecs check src --fix
Enjoy and let me know how it works for you.
If any troubles come up, just create an issue here. I'm happy to improve this tool as much as possible.
The problem is multiple Sniffer (fixer) changesets editing the same token. I was able to get the Sniff to work by collecting a list of USE statements and inserting them at the end of the Sniff's processing.
I identified the end of processing by searching backwards from the last token to find the first token of the list of registered tokens.
Edit: Here is the sniff: https://github.com/php-fig-rectified/psr2r-sniffer/blob/master/PSR2R/Sniffs/Namespaces/NoInlineFullyQualifiedClassNameSniff.php

Documentation of the lesser know AS3 properties

Over the past three weeks, I have lost at least 120 man hours because of some lesser known functionality in ActionScript 3. One of the problems was that, with Internet Explorer, if there are too many messages sent through LocalConnections, it will slow the messages sent through, but in the standalone player and in Firefox, this threshold is significantly higher. Another was that the static values of a class are instantiated even if the member itself is not being used:
import path.to.FooClass;
private function thisIsNeverCalledButItEnsuresThatFooClassIsImported():void
{
var f:FooClass = new FooClass();
}
Since FooClass had a static reference to a Singleton, that Singleton was instantiated so when I loaded a Module which used that Singleton, it would bind to values in an unpredictable way.
Additional cases where things behave in an unexpected way:
MovieClip.addFrameScript
flash.trace.Trace as a class
int is a faster incrementer class, Number is faster for mathematics, and uint is incredibly slow.
PrintDataGrid, if it has only one page, needs to have an empty value appended to the end of its dataProvider
If you use try...catch around two LocalConnections and connect them to the same channel, you will force garbage collection without needing System.gc
So here's the question (and I'm sorry for omitting this in the original post), is there any consolidated documentation for this type of behavior anywhere? Is there any (even non-Adobe) documentation on these issues (websites, forums, books, ANYTHING)? I know that these things are definitely easy enough TO document, but has anyone done so?
If not, am I missing anything? Are there other issues which I should know about?
This kind of useful information is very often not "centralized". Moreover, what you are looking for is something related to the experience of the programmer (more than to official docs).
FYI, there are two other methods for ensuring a class is included.
#1 - This syntax is actually used in the Flex source code:
import path.to.FooClass; FooClass; // note double reference
public class References
{
// No references needed in this class
}
#2 - Use the includes command line argument
-includes path.to.FooClass
You can always submit your experience using the "feedback" section in the help. Unfortunately, this is less obvious than the link that used to be at the bottom of each page in the older help files (which also served the useful function of opening a browser window with the web version of that help page).
Adobe says that it incorporates the comments from previous versions of the help into new versions, but my own observation suggests that there are instances where it does not happen. However, that and the appropriate cookbook are still the best avenue for those who believe that this kind of information should be centralized.
Note that the whole purpose behind modules is to avoid compiling code multiple times, so importing FooClass kind of defeated the purpose. The problems you had in this instance are just one of the many that happen if you use Singletons, and it's unfortunate that the first official Framework, Cairngorm, encouraged their widespread use. Check out http://misko.hevery.com/2008/08/17/singletons-are-pathological-liars/ .

StyleCop vs ReSharper and general coding-style questions

Just found StyleCop, looks like something worth using for my projects. Then I found out you could use it with ReSharper (a tool I've also never used). So I downloaded ReSharper, as well as StyleCop for ReSharper. I'm just a bit confused about it, though:
With just StyleCop installed (no ReSharper), I get yelled at for referring directly to private variables in code-behind. It wants me to instead do this.variable. Alright, fine.
If I use just ReSharper, it tells me to remove all of the 'this' calls I just added. Which one is better?
If I use ReSharper + StyleCop for ReSharper, it now tells me to add 'this' to all private member references (just like StyleCop did all by itself). However, now it also wants me to add 'this' to all of the controls I'm referencing from the .aspx page (i.e., Label.Text = this.variable -> this.Label.Text = this.variable).
I'm so confused. What is the best standard to follow? Or am I just fine doing it the way I am now (Label.Text = variable)?
The key point is consistency. Your particular formatting with regard to this point comes down to personal preference.
Does the extra wordiness provide additional clarity as to which variable you're referencing or does it obscure the meaning by flooding the page with extra text?
This is a judgment call. They do enforce other rules that make sense; however, a large part of what they do is enforce consistency. As #Martin said, feel free to disable rules that don't make sense for your workflow.
Sorry when working on a team it all comes down to understanding the politics; after all, we work to get paid!
If the person that decided your next
pay raise uses StyleCop, then you
should always include the “this.”
likewise if the boss uses ReSharper
you should do what ReSharper says.
There are a lot more important wars to win this, e.g. 10,000 line classes, over sized method
If you are luckly enough to decide what tools (and coding standards) are used yourself, then I would just choose ReSharper and read the “clean code” book.
I think it's up to you which conventions you want to follow (it's a matter of personal preferences). At least in ReSharper, you can edit the rules to no longer show certain warnings/hints.

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