Re: merging equal code (exercise in refactoring)

From:
"Piotr Lipski" <tlemcen@gazeta.pl>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.programmer
Date:
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 02:50:37 +0100
Message-ID:
<fn3i5m$ho2$1@inews.gazeta.pl>
"Stefan Ram" <ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de> wrote in message
news:loop-refactor-20080120162253@ram.dialup.fu-berlin.de...

Eric Sosman <Eric.Sosman@sun.com> writes:

return format(source.toArray(
new java.lang.CharSequence[source.size()]);
A dual solution using Arrays.asList() is also possible.


 This answer is better than my own, because it requires
 the least amount of work of the programmer.

 When a list is copied to an array or an array is copied
 to a list, this needs O(n) operations. Therefore, I have
 hesitated to use this myself. But a programmer's time
 usually is more expensive than a processor's time.

 My own solution tries to avoid an additional copy operation.

 The code given was like

public static java.lang.CharSequence format
( PARAMETERS )
{ PREPARATION
 for( LOOP_CONTROL )LOOP_STATEMENT
 COMPLETION }

 The ?LOOP_CONTROL? varied with ?PARAMETERS?, while
 ?PREPARATION?, ?LOOP_STATEMENT? and ?COMPLETION?
 did not change.

 When something varies with a parameter, the usual
 solution is to make this a parameter, too.

 But in Java, the LOOP_CONTROL of a for(:) statement
 can not be used as a parameter (it would have to be
 something like ?quoted code?).

 So one has to invert the usual procedure and to make
 everything else /except/ the loop control the ?parameter?.

 This can be done by creating an object for the
 PREPARATION, LOOP_STATEMENT and COMPLETION.


One can also abuse Collection API:

import java.util.*;

class Util {
  private static class Formatter extends HashSet<CharSequence> {
    StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder();
    {
        result.append( "Listing:\n" );
        result.append( "[ " );
    }

    public boolean add(CharSequence component) {
      result.append(component);
      result.append("\n ");
      return true;
    }

    CharSequence toCharSequence() {
      if(result.charAt(result.length() - 2) != '[')
        result.delete(result.length() - 3, result.length());
      result.append(" ]");
      return result;
    }
  }

  public static <T extends CharSequence> CharSequence format(final T[]
source ) {
    return new Formatter() {{ Collections.addAll(this,
source); }}.toCharSequence();
  }

  public static <T extends CharSequence> CharSequence format(final List<T>
source) {
    return new Formatter() {{ addAll(source); }}.toCharSequence();
  }
}

PL

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