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Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language (Read 2414 times)

Andreas Gysin

Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Dec 23^rd, 2009, 2:39am

At directorforum.com I came across at an interesting post from Martin Schaefer:

directorforum.com/showthread.php?t=5784

It seems that Microsoft is working on a new visualization software inspired by Processing.
Read the project description at the MSDN blog:

blogs.msdn.com/martinca/archive/2009/12/03/introducing-the-microsoft-visualizati
on-language.aspx

blindfish

Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Reply #1 - Dec 23^rd, 2009, 6:01am

I think I'll stick to Processing - can't say I much like the syntax of C# (I've only done a little with it, but that was enough). For one thing there's a predication for capitals on Properties: just the sort of thing beginners easily overlook... Still, it's nice to see that Processing is inspiring the likes of Microsoft.

Where is the what if the what is in why?

subpixel Senior Member Offline Posts: 261	Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language Reply #2 - Dec 23^rd, 2009, 7:16am Title casing of property names is just a style, not a language feature. You can use camelCasing (or any other style, or inconsistent style!) if you want.
	Processing: subpixels.com, OpenProcessing.org \| VJ portfolio: SPXL.TV

blindfish

Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Reply #3 - Dec 23^rd, 2009, 12:41pm

Sure, when you're the one setting the property and method names; but I'm fairly sure that it's a style they adhered to when naming properties/methods of built-in C# classes - see for example the 'Vedea' code example itself: "slider.Value" or Java/C# comparison.

Of course it's something you get used to; but when you're learning to program you've got enough to worry about without having to remember to capitalise things...

Where is the what if the what is in why?

subpixel

Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Reply #4 - Dec 24^th, 2009, 6:33am

Just pinging you on calling it a syntax problem.

To say that the problem is "remember(ing) to capitalise things" ignores the fact that you have to "remember" capitalisation of things in Java too. In the sample Java code on that page you might find "JComponent", "Graphics", "Graphics2D", "String", "JFrame", and other places where capitalisation is important.

I find it a bit silly that "everyday" types "int" and "String" have different capitalisation rules.

Microsoft's IDE for C# has code hinting/completion, so it is unlikely that you type that much or ever have to worry about getting the capitalisation right as you type.

Just out of interest, what style rule do you suggest as an alternative for distinguishing Properties from members?

-spxl

Processing: subpixels.com, OpenProcessing.org | VJ portfolio: SPXL.TV

PhiLho

Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Reply #5 - Dec 24^th, 2009, 6:44am

subpixel wrote on Dec 24^th, 2009, 6:33am:

I find it a bit silly that "everyday" types "int" and "String" have different capitalisation rules.

As you know, int is a primitive type and a keyword while String is "just" a class. Except that as you said, String, even if that's not a primitive type, is a fundamental type, so much that it got a special syntax (the only overloaded operator in Java, special init (double quotes), etc.). A quite clumsy state.

blindfish

Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Reply #6 - Dec 24^th, 2009, 7:12am

subpixel - that's fair enough. I don't have a computer science background so I'll admit that I probably don't use the right terminology a lot of the time; nor do I always appreciate the subtleties of naming conventions

Still, I suspect a lot of the methods/properties a beginner uses are single words, so they'll be caught out less often if they're not expected to capitalise the first letter. Perhaps there's a good reason for this approach in C#, but I have to say I don't particularly like it. Still at least it's not Objective C Shocked

Where is the what if the what is in why?

subpixel

Re: Microsoft Vedea - Data Visualization Language
Reply #7 - Dec 24^th, 2009, 10:42am

It's just like using caps and underscores for constants, eg MAX_HEIGHT. A property is not the same as a member (properties have get and/or set methods, and are more like functions, whereas members are directly accessed and are more like ordinary variables), so it makes sense to distinguish them.

Ultimately, everything is case sensitive (including keywords). Code hinting/completion (along with easy to access documentation), using whatever capitalisation rules, is arguably easier than no hinting with everything all lower case (or case insensitive). When reading code (as opposed to writing code), it is handy to know that things are Properties or CONSTANTS or whatever at a glance.

-spxl

Processing: subpixels.com, OpenProcessing.org | VJ portfolio: SPXL.TV

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