Legacy Conversion Fun

[dday9]

I am currently in the process of converting a legacy application from VB6 (originally written in VB3 and updated until VB6) and just for the record... I hate spaghetti code.

Right now I am going through 7 files in 9 methods, across 3 projects, all to insert 2 entities and update 1.

This is not the only feature like this either.

I never realized how spread out stuff like this can get!

Edit - I forgot to mention that none of the variables are passed as arguments to the function. They are scoped at the form level.

[FunkyDexter]

I feel your pain. I'm quite lucky that the original developer for the product I'm currently working on was rabid about code separation so everything's nicely abstracted behind interfaces, which makes dropping changes in a breeze. On the other hand, he uses in/out variables all over the place so working out how a particular value got set is a frickin' nightmare.

[dday9]

I'm trying to figure out right now why a variable is changing. It is stored at the form level, but (as per a watch) never changes when I click on the "process" button which means its getting set somewhere/sometime before that.

[si_the_geek]

The good news is that for VB6 you can edit the watch so that you automatically break when the value changes, it makes the hunting much easier.

[Shaggy Hiker]

The bad news is that the debugger in VB6 isn't necessarily running the same code that you are otherwise running. The very fact of setting a breakpoint can change what code gets executed. Still, that's a rare situation to stumble over, as they almost always got it right.

[dday9]

What I ultimately wound up doing is running a SQL Server Profiler, noticed when the Id was being retrieved, did a code search for that SQL command, and found that it was being set WAY before.

[Niya]

Edit - I forgot to mention that none of the variables are passed as arguments to the function. They are scoped at the form level.

I wrote an entire game and engine as child in QuickBasic. It utilized text mode for it's "graphics". It was pretty large and the entire thing was written with all variables scoped globally. My little child's mind didn't how to use functions properly. Entire thing was just subs using global variables to get things done. If I have 1 regret in life, is not having to source code for that game. I'd love to go through it as an adult and cringe at how badly it was written, though it did work perfectly. It had a level editor and the ability to record games and play them back.

[wossy]

If I have 1 regret in life, is not having to source code for that game.

I hurt someone's feelings once. Still feel bad about it, many many years later. I hate myself daily. But at least I have the source code

[Niya]

i hurt someone's feelings once. Still feel bad about it, many many years later. I hate myself daily. But at least i have the source code

lmao