Re: commenting, was Re: Use of declare blocks

[<adaworks@sbcglobal.net>]

I once wrote a program that enabled files of comments
to be inserted in the program wherever I wanted them.

I wrote it for a client, but I am not sure I still have the
source code.  However, it would be easy to write.

Wherever I wanted to be able to expand the source code
with additional documentation, I included a

       --{file-name}

Then, we could print the source file with all the comments embedded
or not, depending on the option in the print routine. Actually, this program
included several other printing options, as well.

Maybe I need to find it and make it available in the source code repository.

Richard Riehle
====================================================
<tmoran@acm.org> wrote in message 
news:pqednfl5KJ4GhpnbnZ2dnUVZ_v2knZ2d@comcast.com...
>> even when their meaning seemed obvious to me. In particular, when their
>> meaning seemed obvious. As you say, it won't stay obvious, and
>> the programmer's knowledge at the time of writing is lost with
>> the missing comment and has to be regained.
>    I'd like comments that are fuller as the code gets older.
>    I've long wanted a system that each day would find those files that
> are, say, two days old and it would ask me to either delete or give a
> (very) short description (but longer than an 8.3 file name!).  Files that
> haven't been accessed in two weeks would either be deleted or it would
> require me to give a somewhat longer description.  Similarly after two
> months, with a description that would make sense two years from now.
> This would have to be system-enforced, since I can't bring myself to
> do it manually (and sometimes it isn't clear how long certain files
> will continue to exist anyway).
> It would be nice to do something similar with source code and comments.