Do you remember ALL code syntax? | The Coffeehouse

turrican
Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance! - Albert Einstein

Do you remember ALL code syntaxes? For example doing WCF, I don't always remember everything. So I have a base project where I look on its code from time to time. Sort of like a small book. How do you do it?

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

I check the MSDN docs whenever I can't remember something (which is often).

Ray7

I look it up.

Which is why I get annoyed by programmer exams that ask about parameters to APIs and stuff like that. I don't need to keep that in my head, so I don't.

TommyCarlier
I want my scalps!

Here are some things I sometimes have trouble remembering:

The exact syntax to implement an operator on a class in C#
String formatting options (standard + custom formatting of numbers and datetimes)
Some of the regular expression syntax (like named groups and replacement)

Cupiditas
Chris Hawkins

In reply to TommyCarlier

#Nov 23rd, 2008 @ 1:26 AM

What he said. A useless and uninspiring statement, but nonetheless true.

Bas
It finds lightbulbs.

Oh man, operator implementations. I can never get those right.

Intellisense and code completion in VS helps a lot. Also, a really great tip: code snippets. Let the IDE remember the syntax for you. You'll just need to remember to type 'operat [tab]'.

I don't even try to remember regex syntax, it's the most confusing and unintuitive syntax I've ever seen (except for Whitespace, of course), and I always just ask a guy on MSN for the correct syntax.

Dr Herbie
Horses for courses

In reply to Bas

#Nov 23rd, 2008 @ 4:00 AM

The F1 key is my best friend -- I have a stab at remembering it, and then hit F1. If I got the syntax wrong, I'll use the search to find the correct version.

Herbie

turrican
Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance! - Albert Einstein

Now, all that being said... is Microsoft Certificate exams with only pen and paper?

Perplexed

Ion Todirel
buuu

In reply to turrican

#Nov 23rd, 2008 @ 5:44 AM

and brain, not a big one though Wink

Larry Osterman

Yes

.

I do use the ATL/MFC wizards when starting a windows application though.

But I remember all that stuff. But then again my brain holds all sorts of useless trivia.

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

In reply to Larry Osterman

#Nov 23rd, 2008 @ 9:24 AM

I find the MFC/ATL wizards introduce a lot of clutter into my fresh C++ projects; how do you deal with them?

Yggdrasil
Pour me a cab, 'cause I can't drink no more.

Memorizing syntax may not make you a good programmer, but it can certainly make you a more productive one. Just like Jeff Atwood's post on programmers as typists, memorizing syntax means that you have less of a disconnect between thinking of what you have to do and having it written down in compilable form. This means less interruptions, less disruptions on your way to MSDN or whereever.

There may be all sorts of techniques to improve memorization. I don't know. To me, it comes purely of usage and practice, and maybe of mindset - if I say to myself that I need to remember syntax, maybe it helps me focus on it.

Ion Todirel
buuu

In reply to W3bbo

#Nov 23rd, 2008 @ 10:12 AM

If only Visual C++ would support custom project templates, like Visual C# IDE does...

BlackTiger
If you stumbled and fell down, it doesn't mean yet, that you're going in the wrong direction.

It's just impossible to remember modern... hmmm, "languages" syntax.
No life outside IDE.