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From: ForthNet@willett.pgh.pa.us (ForthNet articles from GEnie)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
Subject: Formatting Forth source code
Message-ID: <2752.UUL1.3#5129@willett.pgh.pa.us>
Date: 13 May 91 11:56:49 GMT
Organization: (n.) to be organized.  But that's not important right now.
Lines: 64

Category 2,  Topic 13
Message 19        Wed May 08, 1991
R.CAVANAUGH [BobC]           at 23:38 MDT
 
In keeping with the spirit, here is my prefered way of formatting:

( F - PC dialect )


\ Modified query to select maximum number of input

: nquery ( n -- )
    tib swap expect                     \ get digits from in stream
    span @ #tib !                       \ store number of inputs
    >in off                             \ reset input pointer
 ;

\ General purpose routine to
 \ input a number from the user


: get-num ( #digits base -- dnum flag ) \ flag - true for valid

    base @ >r !                         \ save current base, load new
    ." ?"                               \ prompt for input
    nquery                              \ get <= #digits from input
    bl word                             \ convert to counted str
    ?uppercase                          \ if hex, make sure upper
    number?                             \ convert string to number
    r> base !                           \ restore old base
 ;

- Notes

1. If my words require detailed stack diagrams at each line,
   I feel I need to rethink how I am doing it.  Input stack condition
   and output I feel should be sufficient

2. Each line should be functionally related, i.e. I would put
   " 1 junk +! " as one line as incrementing a variable
   is really one action, whereas
   " something-to-test n =
     if
         do-if-true
     else
         do-if-false
     then
   "
   is the way I like to structure conditionals.  I can take a ruler
   (or the col indicator on my editor) and see the subdivisions
   of the algorithm.

3. I am a strong proponent of line-by-line comments, as to what you
   are trying to do.  I find this helps me a great deal when I come
   back to code (in any language) n years later and try to reuse
   or modify it.  The flow of how I thought out what I was doing
   rings bells, and I have found aids my collegues in understanding
   and maintaining the code.  I find the effort required pays later.
 - Bobc
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