How To Create "Write-Only" Code

One of the leading benefits of ObjectScript is the speed and efficiency it allows for an experienced developer. Let's look at an example of how you can benefit from ObjectScript today.

Suppose you have a class that stores the names of your users. We'll call the class Data.User, and give it a string property Name. Next, we will need a method to create a new user or update an existing one. A naive, simplistic approach might look like this example:

ClassMethod UpdateOrCreateUser(id, name) As %String
{
    if ('$data(name)){
        quit "Name required"
    }
    if ($data(id)){
        set user = ##class(Data.User).%OpenId(id)
    }
    else{
        set user = ##class(Data.User).%New()
    }
    if ('user){
        quit "User not found"
    }
    set user.Name = name
    set status = user.%Save()
    if (status '= 1){
        quit "Error saving"
    }
    else{
        quit "User saved"
    }
}

The problem with this approach is it's too wordy and drawn out. It takes a lot of time typing the code, the variable names, the curly braces, and when you're done, a trivial piece of code takes up half the screen on your monitor. Luckily, ObjectScript empowers the developers to streamline the process, and cut out the unnecessary fluff. Let's take a look at how an experienced developer can rewrite the messy code to a much cleaner result:

ClassMethod CRUDUser(id, name) As %String
{
    q:'$d(name) "Name required"
    s x = $s($d(id):##class(Data.User).%OpenId(id),1:##class(Data.User).%New()) i 'x q "User not found"
    s x.Name = name q $s(x.%Save()=1:"User saved",1:"Error saving")
}

And that's it! With only three lines of code, look at what ObjectScript can accomplish. You don't need a dual monitor computer setup just to read the code. And because we cut out all the unnecessary wording, you don't even need mouse, or a scroll wheel,  or copy/paste functionality, or resizing application windows. If you're comfortable developing powerful applications using nothing more than a monochrome 80 column x 24 line display with a simple keyboard, an 8Mhz processor and a 720KB floppy disk, then you can take full advantage of ObjectScript to maximize your productivity.

Now there might be some newcomers who have trouble reading your optimized code. And when the time comes to adapt the application for new requirements, other developers may find it easier to rewrite the code completely, rather than trying to decypher your hand crafted one-liners. And you might even have difficulty following your own code a few years later! But nothing else comes close to putting so much powerful functionality in so little space!

Disclaimer: As hopefully everyone reading has realized by now, this article is satire. As a courtesy to your fellow developers and coworkers, do not write code that looks like the shortened version full of abbreviations and one-liners. While it may initially save you some typing and mouse clicking, it wastes much more time when someone other than yourself has to maintain and update such code. The condensed code is harder to read and follow, and therefore is a good candidate for write once and throw away later code.