category as "reading the manual".
But then I LIKE the manual. ;^)
I consider myself (and perhaps I'm being prideful) as a very senior level
CFer. but I still use the manual. For example in the past hour or so I've
looked up the values allowed for the "action" attribute of CFCOLLECTION, the
mask values for the TimeFormat() function and the return values for the
DateCompare() function.
Now that last one I probably should know, but for some reason just refuses
to stick no matter how often I use it.
I also find myself looking up functions over and over again. for example I
am repeatedly convinced that there's a "Floor()" function in CF, only to
look up "Fix()".
For some things, even tho' I'm pretty good with them (or at least I believe
I produce good results) I still hang on the manual. Regular Expressions for
example: whenever I use them I've always got a reference chart handy.
But no - I definitely don't look up everything, not even many things. But
at the same time I do regularly look up things. Most of the time I actually
know the answer, I'm just refreshing my memory or (pretty often) just
fidgeting. Cracking the book to look up something gives me time to plan my
next move, so to speak. At this point it is more habit that anything else.
I'm still using my CF 4.5 reference guide for MX development. ;^)
On a related topic I have a habit of, when I really get into code, to kneel
at the desk instead of sitting. I don't know, it seems more attentive, more
dynamic for some reason (again I think it's fidgeting). I had one manager
at a former job that specifically requested that I don't do that: he claimed
it looked "unprofessional". (He also didn't care at ALL for my habit of
pacing with a yo-yo while thinking through tough problems).
I guess I'm still baffled how procedural elements like these could ever be
considered when judging the quality of a person's work. I tended (until now)
to consider only the results of the code, not the process the coder used to
generate them (well, within reason). If standing on their head meant good
code, then stand, head, stand!
Of course I'd draw the line with a guy that got his think-on by screaming or
slapping his cube-mates, but there's a lot of wiggle room before you get to
that point. ;^)
Jim Davis
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