Bad Programming Practices 101

[billroper]

The next person who casts away constness on an object that I'm deliberately returning as a const object because I don't want them modifying it except through the specific functions that I've provided to do so is going to get thrashed about the head and shoulders.

Comments

[mrlogic.livejournal.com]

Hey, here's your problem:

#include Deviousness.h
#include MessedUpValues.h

void ScrewUpBillsCode()
{
     const BillsObjectType* billsObject = BillsFunction();
     BillsObjectType* screwedObject = const_cast<BillsObjectType*>(billsObject);
     screwedObject->member = k_CRAP;

// mwahaha
}

[billroper]

Frighteningly, it looks almost exactly like that. Line for line...

[phillip2637.livejournal.com]

How about...don't return objects you want protected? Return identifiers instead and and act as a proxy for the functions that you decide are valid.

Ya, I know, not nearly as satisfying as the "thrashing" thing. :-)

[billroper]

That's possible, but then the interface in the librarian class gets even thicker than it already is. (I keep pruning it back as people add weird things to it.)