Posted by jacobedawson 6 days ago
I have it set to check my code live, as I write it, and it will reformat my code on the fly to break lines up, fix typos, insert code snippets, autocomplete documentation, etc...
I will admit it was very awkward using it at first and I actually kind of hated it because it felt so intrusive, like having it modify code as I write it felt really distracting at first, but after maybe 2-3 days of doing it I got used to it and now I feel a lot more productive having it there. Especially for a language like C++ where sometimes the most menial syntax issue can have significant and hard to track down consequences, it's nice to have an LLM that can focus on these menial details while I focus on the higher level task.
"Please don't comment about the voting on comments. It never does any good, and it makes boring reading."
Other elements also apply.
* Handling of multiple newlines to break sections, or none to group related functions (e.g. a getter with a setter). Sometimes it's even best to move functions around for better grouping.
* They don't factor out an expression into a separate variable.
* They destroy `git blame`. This one is avoided if the tooling has always enforced formatting.
That's...not formatting, and there's probably no good deterministic rule for when to do that, anyhow.
How is this a problem with auto formatters? This is completely on the person/team, not the tool. Even if the repo doesn’t enforce on pre-commit or something, don’t most formatters have the option to only format lines you’ve actually changed?
* They implicitly enable people to write deeply nested code that lacks such factoring, without feeling like anything has gone wrong.
In pragmatic business environments it's not worth the fuss but I never feel great about anything I make in those kinds of environments anyways, and I always appreciate being able to shine when there's no enforced code formatting.
Compare:
#define/**/Q(x,y)r;char*q/* */=y#x","#y")",*p,x=*p%67;}
/*-IOCCC2020-*/#include/* */<stdio.h>/*-BBQlock--*/
int(y),x,i,k,Q(s[9<<9/* 12 */];float(f)[3];void(Z)
(){*f=r<0?r:-r;f[1]/* 11 1 */=42.5;f[2]=22.5;for
(k=0;++k<39;*f/=(k/* 10 2 */%2?k:-k)*6875.5/i)
y=f[1+k%2]+=*f;k=/* */f[2];p=s+k/2*86+y
;}int(main)(){p=/* 9 o-------> 3 */s;for(;i<1978;*q
>32?k=i++/86-11/* / */,y=(750>r*r+k*k
*4)*4+y/2,*p++=/* 8 L 4 */r<44?y?"+0X+0X"
"+!"[y]-1:*q++/* 7 5 */:10:*q++)r=-41
+i%86;r=20;for/* 6 */(x=13;(i=3600*
--x);*p++="XR"/* */"MOQSUWAY"[x%+
10]-9,*p+=x/10/* */*41)Z();sscanf
(__TIME__,"%d"/* \ / -------+ */":%d:%d",&k,&x
,&i);r=10;for(i/* \ / ------ | */+=(k*60+x)*60;r
+18;*p=k%2?*p%2/* \ / ------ | */?59:44:*p>39?59
:39,i=r--?i:i%(+/* \ / ------ | */3600)*12)Z();for
(p=s;*p;putchar(k/* X ------ | */%2&&k<14?q="End",
printf("%c%c",224|/* __/ \__ | | */(21554>>k&3),"gCS"
"gGMX"[k/2]+65),"E"/* / \ / \ | | */"Gh_BrG"[k/2]+64:*p
),++p)k,"#define/**/"/* \__/ \__/ +--+ */"Q(x,y)r;cha""r*q=y#"
"x\",\"#y\")\",*p,x=*p"/* */"%67;}/*-IOCCC2020-*/#"
"include<stdio.h>/*-BBQl"/* */"ock--*/int(y),x,i,k,Q(")
#define /**/ Q(x, y) \
r; \
char *q /* */ = y #x "," #y ")", *p, x = *p % 67; \
}
/*-IOCCC2020-*/ #include /* */<stdio.h> /*-BBQlock--*/
int(y),x,i,k,Q(s[9<<9/* 12 */];float(f)[3];void(Z)
(){
*f = r < 0 ? r : -r;
f[1] /* 11 1 */ = 42.5;
f[2] = 22.5;
for (k = 0; ++k < 39;
*f /= (k /* 10 2 */ % 2 ? k : -k) * 6875.5 / i)
y = f[1 + k % 2] += *f;
k = /* */ f[2];
p = s + k / 2 * 86 + y;}int(main)(){
p = /* 9 o-------> 3 */ s;
for (; i < 1978; *q > 32 ? k = i++ / 86 - 11 /* / */,
y = (750 > r * r + k * k * 4) * 4 + y / 2,
*p++ = /* 8 L 4 */ r < 44
? y ? "+0X+0X"
"+!"[y] -
1
: *q++ /* 7 5 */
: 10
: *q++)
r = -41 + i % 86;
r = 20;for/* 6 */(x=13;(i=3600*
--x);*p++="XR"/* */"MOQSUWAY"[x%+
10]-9,*p+=x/10/* */*41)
Z();
sscanf(__TIME__, "%d" /* \ / -------+ */ ":%d:%d", &k, &x, &i);
r = 10;
for (i /* \ / ------ | */ += (k * 60 + x) * 60; r + 18;
*p = k % 2 ? *p % 2 /* \ / ------ | */ ? 59 : 44
: *p > 39 ? 59
: 39,
i = r-- ? i : i % (+/* \ / ------ | */ 3600) * 12)
Z();
for (p = s; *p;
putchar(k /* X ------ | */ % 2 &&k < 14
? q = "End",
printf("%c%c",
224 | /* __/ \__ | | */ (21554 >> k & 3),
"gCS"
"gGMX"[k / 2] +
65),
"E" /* / \ / \ | | */ "Gh_BrG"[k / 2] + 64 : *p),
++p)k,"#define/**/"/* \__/ \__/ +--+ */"Q(x,y)r;cha""r*q=y#"
"x\",\"#y\")\",*p,x=*p"/* */"%67;}/*-IOCCC2020-*/#"
"include<stdio.h>/*-BBQl"/* */"ock--*/int(y),x,i,k,Q(")
Feel free to not use one in your art projects.
imho uniformity of what the code looks like > some single person's opinion
it's so satisfying to me when I just run "gofmt" and know the thing is formatted well.
Bike shedding for weeks might happen and is not helpful. On the other side of this argument there are not-so-very-pleasant things as well. A: We follow this-and-this coding convention and we do not like wasting time on discussing it so we follow it to the letter. B: I don't like this small thing that I would like to write differently. A: We follow this-and-this coding convention and we do not like wasting time on discussing it so we follow it to the letter. B: You actually don't follow this-and-this coding convention because you are not following this-and-that rule. A: Yes, that is a change that I liked.
One can easily end up with a very old coding convention that only the oldest developer likes so the oldest developer can now be dictator over everybody else.
Both are branches of philosophy, but rather distinct from one another.
The uniformity is not merely for the sake of uniformity.