Mailing-List: contact dev-help@directory.apache.org; run by ezmlm
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: "Apache Directory Developers List" <dev@directory.apache.org>
Received-SPF: pass (nike.apache.org: domain of elecharny@gmail.com designates
 209.85.219.209 as permitted sender)
DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; c=nofws;
        d=gmail.com; s=gamma;
        h=sender:message-id:date:from:user-agent:mime-version:to:subject
         :references:in-reply-to:content-type:content-transfer-encoding;
        b=cupHl9EsO1TH+20bxvS49pePkp0VJHOtco+DYQaybWfMw6q8pa4w2gHiLOt7cmODRo
         MfNwGmWbToHeeZu0C5CUdDSd1o1XfyD0kiqXdgwh7WFXsKigrI9oyuI4FeiHRJdpw8sh
         J2PAuNjjKO8qUkzgg9A4f8JlgneEyipW7y44g=
Sender: Emmanuel Lecharny <elecharny@gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4A9AF617.4060601@nextury.com>
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:58:47 +0200
From: Emmanuel Lecharny <elecharny@apache.org>
User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.22 (X11/20090608)
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: Apache Directory Developers List <dev@directory.apache.org>
Subject: Re: [Code Issues] Don't use toString() to pretty print
References: <a32f6b020908291428r1e77f682obe4d7dd140230908@mail.gmail.com>
	 <4A9AD4F5.4060805@nextury.com>
 <a32f6b020908301246w56a63eccgcbd84510f5e04407@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <a32f6b020908301246w56a63eccgcbd84510f5e04407@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Alex Karasulu wrote:
> OK to be more clear on what I desire:
>
> We have things like getString() and toString().  Sometimes we have pretty
> print functionality in toString().  If you have an object which you want
> turned into a string representation toString() might just do the job like
> for an Enum or something like that.  You basically intuit that you can
> toString() the damn thing.  Like Value.toString() is the string value.
>
> If you want to have some extensive pretty print output for debugging and
> logging then put that into a getPrettyString() or something like that
> instead of toString().  Value or some other object out there like the
> SchemaObject and subclasses have the toString() doing a pretty print and I
> just wanted the string representation of the value.  If I want to pretty
> print something then let's just have a toPrettyString() or something very
> explicit.  Hard to tell if I should use Value.toString() or
> Value.getString().
>   
Well, again, toString() is used for logging or, most important, 
debugging purpose. In this case, the more we have, the prettier it is, 
the better.

However, as I said,  when the String format is very well known, then 
adding some information is useless (like printing a LdifEntry as 
something not looking like a LDIF).

I insist on the debugging point because the toString() method is what is 
used by *all* the IDE when you want to watch a variable.

getPrettyString() is most certainly not the good thing to use in this 
case, you can't use it while debugging.

-- 
--
cordialement, regards,
Emmanuel L�charny
www.iktek.com
directory.apache.org