Re: Problem trying to implement generics.

[Tucker Taft <stt@averstar.com>]

Ayende Rahien wrote:
> 
> "Tucker Taft" <stt@averstar.com> wrote in message
> news:3ADC4320.7ACA3DEC@averstar.com...
> 
> > Interestingly enough, the standard Iterator in Java
> > uses:
> >      while (Iter.hasNext()) {
> >          X = Iter.next();
> >          ...
> >      }
> >
> > even though Java has functions with side effects (although
> > in fact, only with side-effects on by-reference operands,
> > since it has no parameter modes at all!).
> 
> Why use it like this?
> for (;Iter.hasNext(); X = Iter.next() ){
>     //do stuff
> }
> 
> Is much more readable, IMO.

Well this started a long series of responses...  But the
key thing to point out is that the for-loop doesn't work.
You are assigning X a value too late to use it inside
the first iteration of the loop.  The third "part" of a for-loop
header is only executed at the *end* of each loop iteration.

When programming in C (or Java), I generally do use a
"for" loop when it works, but this is one case where it
definitely doesn't.

-- 
-Tucker Taft   stt@avercom.net   http://www.averstar.com/~stt/
Chief Technology Officer, AverCom Corporation (A Titan Company) 
Burlington, MA  USA (AverCom was formerly the Commercial Division of AverStar:
http://www.averstar.com/services/ebusiness_applications.html)