Name: tb29552 Date: 10/29/98


javax.swing.text.AbstractWriter
===============================

Is one of the WORST pieces of code that I have had the misfortune to HAVE to
read (javax.swing.text.html.HTMLWriter is the nearest contender).

How many bug reports would you like to have on it?

Let's start with a Quote

     No engineer or programmer, no programming tools, are going to help us, or
     help the software buisness, to make up for a lousy design

          I. Sharp

I would suggest that NO DESIGN was made for this class.

Point ONE
=========
  Code Extract
  =============
      * written out per line, the writer defaults to 80.
      * But this value can be set by subclasses.
      *
      * @author Sunita Mani
      * @version 1.7, 08/26/98
      */

     public abstract class AbstractWriter {

         private ElementIterator it;
         private Writer out;
         private int indentLevel = 0;
         private int indentSpace = 2;
         private Document doc = null;
         private int maxLineLength = 100;

The Problem
===========
 The writer defaults to 100 (not 80).

Point TWO
=========
    Code extract
    ============
    protected static final char NEWLINE = '\n';

    .....
    protected void write(char ch) throws IOException {

out.write(ch);
if (ch == NEWLINE) {
currLength = 0;
} else {
++currLength;
if (currLength == maxLineLength) {
                out.write(NEWLINE);
// =====================
currLength = 0;
indent();
}
}
    }
The Problem
===========
   For what do we have the SystemProperty "line.separator" for?????
   "Write once run anywhere"
   SO LONG AS IT IS UNIX

   How about practicing what is preached?

Point THREE
===========
    Code extract
    ============
} else {
/* the line is too big to fit by itself. */

int maxLength = maxLineLength - indentSize;
String substr = str.substring(0, maxLength);
write(substr);
substr = str.substring(maxLength, str.length());
write(substr);
}

The Problem
===========
    Just split a piece of text at any position?
    WHO CAN BE SO STUPID?

Point FOUR
==========
   Code Extract
   ============
    private int indentLevel = 0;
    private int indentSpace = 2;
    private Document doc = null;
    private int maxLineLength = 100;
    private int currLength = 0;
    private int startOffset = 0;
    private int endOffset = 0;

    ......
    ......

    protected void write(String str) throws IOException {

int indentSize = indentLevel*indentSpace;
int newlineIndex = str.indexOf(NEWLINE);
if (currLength + str.length() <= maxLineLength) {


The Problem
===========
   What does it help making a method protected (rather than private)
   when all of the attributes that are relavant for the method are
   private and no accessors (i.e. getCurrLength()) are provided.



Summary
=======

Can Sun (or Javasoft) say with any honesty that this class has gone through ANY
quality assurance testing.
How is unit testing performed?
How is alpha testing done?
Is ANY desk checking (code reading) performed.


Regards
   David M. Gaskin
   ###@###.###
(Review ID: 41569)
======================================================================