Chapter 14: Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How
This page is a generated reference surface for selective reading. It exists to keep the learner apps guide-first while still preserving source access.
Learning objectives
- Explain the main ideas and vocabulary in Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How.
- Work through the source examples for Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How without depending on raw chunk order.
- Use Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How as selective reference when learner modules point back to Clean Code.
Prerequisites
- Earlier prerequisite concepts leading into Chapter 14: Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How.
Module targets
module-03-clean-code
AI companion modes
- Explain simply
- Socratic tutor
- Quiz me
- Challenge my understanding
- Diagnose my confusion
- Generate extra practice
- Revision mode
- Connect forward / backward
Source-of-truth note
This unit is anchored to Clean Code and the source chapter "Chapter 14: Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How". Use external resources only to clarify, extend, or modernize details without replacing the chapter's conceptual spine.
External enrichment
No chapter-specific enrichment resources are curated yet. Add them in the unit manifest when a source clearly improves learning.
Source provenance
- Primary source:
Clean Code - Source chapter 14: Chapter 14: Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How
- Raw source file:
055-chapter-14-successive-refinement-args-implementation-to-how.md - Raw source file:
056-args-the-rough-draft-part-1.md
Merged source
Chapter 14 Successive Refinement Args Implementation To How
Chapter 14: Successive Refinement: Args Implementation to How Did I Do This?
Args Implementation
Listing 14-2 is the implementation of the Args class. Please read it very carefully. I worked
hard on the style and structure and hope it is worth emulating.
Listing 14-2
Args.java
package com.objectmentor.utilities.args;
import static com.objectmentor.utilities.args.ArgsException.ErrorCode.*;
import java.util.*;
public class Args {
private Map<Character, ArgumentMarshaler> marshalers;
Listing 14-2 (continued)
Args.java
private Set<Character> argsFound;
private ListIterator<String> currentArgument;
public Args(String schema, String[] args) throws ArgsException {
marshalers = new HashMap<Character, ArgumentMarshaler>();
argsFound = new HashSet<Character>();
parseSchema(schema);
parseArgumentStrings(Arrays.asList(args));
}
private void parseSchema(String schema) throws ArgsException {
for (String element : schema.split(","))
if (element.length() > 0)
parseSchemaElement(element.trim());
}
private void parseSchemaElement(String element) throws ArgsException {
char elementId = element.charAt(0);
String elementTail = element.substring(1);
validateSchemaElementId(elementId);
if (elementTail.length() == 0)
marshalers.put(elementId, new BooleanArgumentMarshaler());
else if (elementTail.equals("*"))
marshalers.put(elementId, new StringArgumentMarshaler());
else if (elementTail.equals("#"))
marshalers.put(elementId, new IntegerArgumentMarshaler());
else if (elementTail.equals("##"))
marshalers.put(elementId, new DoubleArgumentMarshaler());
else if (elementTail.equals("[*]"))
marshalers.put(elementId, new StringArrayArgumentMarshaler());
else
throw new ArgsException(INVALID_ARGUMENT_FORMAT, elementId, elementTail);
}
private void validateSchemaElementId(char elementId) throws ArgsException {
if (!Character.isLetter(elementId))
throw new ArgsException(INVALID_ARGUMENT_NAME, elementId, null);
}
private void parseArgumentStrings(List<String> argsList) throws ArgsException
{
for (currentArgument = argsList.listIterator(); currentArgument.hasNext();)
{
String argString = currentArgument.next();
if (argString.startsWith("-")) {
parseArgumentCharacters(argString.substring(1));
} else {
currentArgument.previous();
break;
}
}
}
Listing 14-2 (continued)
Args.java
private void parseArgumentCharacters(String argChars) throws ArgsException {
for (int i = 0; i < argChars.length(); i++)
parseArgumentCharacter(argChars.charAt(i));
}
private void parseArgumentCharacter(char argChar) throws ArgsException {
ArgumentMarshaler m = marshalers.get(argChar);
if (m == null) {
throw new ArgsException(UNEXPECTED_ARGUMENT, argChar, null);
} else {
argsFound.add(argChar);
try {
m.set(currentArgument);
} catch (ArgsException e) {
e.setErrorArgumentId(argChar);
throw e;
}
}
}
public boolean has(char arg) {
return argsFound.contains(arg);
}
public int nextArgument() {
return currentArgument.nextIndex();
}
public boolean getBoolean(char arg) {
return BooleanArgumentMarshaler.getValue(marshalers.get(arg));
}
public String getString(char arg) {
return StringArgumentMarshaler.getValue(marshalers.get(arg));
}
public int getInt(char arg) {
return IntegerArgumentMarshaler.getValue(marshalers.get(arg));
}
public double getDouble(char arg) {
return DoubleArgumentMarshaler.getValue(marshalers.get(arg));
}
public String[] getStringArray(char arg) {
return StringArrayArgumentMarshaler.getValue(marshalers.get(arg));
}
}
Notice that you can read this code from the top to the bottom without a lot of jumping around or looking ahead. The one thing you may have had to look ahead for is the definition of ArgumentMarshaler, which I left out intentionally. Having read this code carefully, you should understand what the ArgumentMarshaler interface is and what its derivatives do. I'll show a few of them to you now (Listing 14-3 through Listing 14-6).
Listing 14-3
ArgumentMarshaler.java
public interface ArgumentMarshaler {
void set(Iterator<String> currentArgument) throws ArgsException;
}
Listing 14-4
BooleanArgumentMarshaler.java
public class BooleanArgumentMarshaler implements ArgumentMarshaler {
private boolean booleanValue = false;
public void set(Iterator<String> currentArgument) throws ArgsException {
booleanValue = true;
}
public static boolean getValue(ArgumentMarshaler am) {
if (am != null && am instanceof BooleanArgumentMarshaler)
return ((BooleanArgumentMarshaler) am).booleanValue;
else
return false;
}
}
Listing 14-5
StringArgumentMarshaler.java
import static com.objectmentor.utilities.args.ArgsException.ErrorCode.*;
public class StringArgumentMarshaler implements ArgumentMarshaler {
private String stringValue = "";
public void set(Iterator<String> currentArgument) throws ArgsException {
try {
stringValue = currentArgument.next();
} catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
throw new ArgsException(MISSING_STRING);
}
}
public static String getValue(ArgumentMarshaler am) {
if (am != null && am instanceof StringArgumentMarshaler)
return ((StringArgumentMarshaler) am).stringValue;
else
return "";
}
}
Listing 14-6
IntegerArgumentMarshaler.java
import static com.objectmentor.utilities.args.ArgsException.ErrorCode.*;
public class IntegerArgumentMarshaler implements ArgumentMarshaler {
private int intValue = 0;
public void set(Iterator<String> currentArgument) throws ArgsException {
String parameter = null;
try {
parameter = currentArgument.next();
intValue = Integer.parseInt(parameter);
} catch (NoSuchElementException e) {
throw new ArgsException(MISSING_INTEGER);
} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
throw new ArgsException(INVALID_INTEGER, parameter);
}
}
public static int getValue(ArgumentMarshaler am) {
if (am != null && am instanceof IntegerArgumentMarshaler)
return ((IntegerArgumentMarshaler) am).intValue;
else
return 0;
}
}
The other ArgumentMarshaler derivatives simply replicate this pattern for doubles and String arrays and would serve to clutter this chapter. I'll leave them to you as an exercise. One other bit of information might be troubling you: the definition of the error code constants. They are in the ArgsException class (Listing 14-7).
Listing 14-7
ArgsException.java
import static com.objectmentor.utilities.args.ArgsException.ErrorCode.*;
public class ArgsException extends Exception {
private char errorArgumentId = '\0';
private String errorParameter = null;
private ErrorCode errorCode = OK;
public ArgsException() {}
public ArgsException(String message) {super(message);}
public ArgsException(ErrorCode errorCode) {
this.errorCode = errorCode;
}
public ArgsException(ErrorCode errorCode, String errorParameter) {
this.errorCode = errorCode;
this.errorParameter = errorParameter;
}
Listing 14-7 (continued)
ArgsException.java
public ArgsException(ErrorCode errorCode,
char errorArgumentId, String errorParameter) {
this.errorCode = errorCode;
this.errorParameter = errorParameter;
this.errorArgumentId = errorArgumentId;
}
public char getErrorArgumentId() {
return errorArgumentId;
}
public void setErrorArgumentId(char errorArgumentId) {
this.errorArgumentId = errorArgumentId;
}
public String getErrorParameter() {
return errorParameter;
}
public void setErrorParameter(String errorParameter) {
this.errorParameter = errorParameter;
}
public ErrorCode getErrorCode() {
return errorCode;
}
public void setErrorCode(ErrorCode errorCode) {
this.errorCode = errorCode;
}
public String errorMessage() {
switch (errorCode) {
case OK:
return "TILT: Should not get here.";
case UNEXPECTED_ARGUMENT:
return String.format("Argument -%c unexpected.", errorArgumentId);
case MISSING_STRING:
return String.format("Could not find string parameter for -%c.",
errorArgumentId);
case INVALID_INTEGER:
return String.format("Argument -%c expects an integer but was '%s'.",
errorArgumentId, errorParameter);
case MISSING_INTEGER:
return String.format("Could not find integer parameter for -%c.",
errorArgumentId);
case INVALID_DOUBLE:
return String.format("Argument -%c expects a double but was '%s'.",
errorArgumentId, errorParameter);
case MISSING_DOUBLE:
return String.format("Could not find double parameter for -%c.",
errorArgumentId);
case INVALID_ARGUMENT_NAME:
return String.format("'%c' is not a valid argument name.",
errorArgumentId);
Listing 14-7 (continued)
ArgsException.java
case INVALID_ARGUMENT_FORMAT:
return String.format("'%s' is not a valid argument format.",
errorParameter);
}
return "";
}
public enum ErrorCode {
OK, INVALID_ARGUMENT_FORMAT, UNEXPECTED_ARGUMENT, INVALID_ARGUMENT_NAME,
MISSING_STRING,
MISSING_INTEGER, INVALID_INTEGER,
MISSING_DOUBLE, INVALID_DOUBLE}
}
It's remarkable how much code is required to flesh out the details of this simple concept. One of the reasons for this is that we are using a particularly wordy language. Java, being a statically typed language, requires a lot of words in order to satisfy the type system. In a language like Ruby, Python, or Smalltalk, this program is much smaller.1
Please read the code over one more time. Pay special attention to the way things are named, the size of the functions, and the formatting of the code. If you are an experienced programmer, you may have some quibbles here and there with various parts of the style or structure. Overall, however, I hope you conclude that this program is nicely written and has a clean structure. For example, it should be obvious how you would add a new argument type, such as a date argument or a complex number argument, and that such an addition would require a trivial amount of effort. In short, it would simply require a new derivative of Argument- Marshaler, a new getXXX function, and a new case statement in the parseSchemaElement function. There would also probably be a new ArgsException.ErrorCode and a new error message.
How Did I Do This?
Let me set your mind at rest. I did not simply write this program from beginning to end in its current form. More importantly, I am not expecting you to be able to write clean and elegant programs in one pass. If we have learned anything over the last couple of decades, it is that programming is a craft more than it is a science. To write clean code, you must first write dirty code and then clean it. This should not be a surprise to you. We learned this truth in grade school when our teachers tried (usually in vain) to get us to write rough drafts of our compositions. The process, they told us, was that we should write a rough draft, then a second draft, then several subsequent drafts until we had our final version. Writing clean compositions, they tried to tell us, is a matter of successive refinement.
- I recently rewrote this module in Ruby. It was 1/7th the size and had a subtly better structure.
Most freshman programmers (like most grade-schoolers) don't follow this advice particularly well. They believe that the primary goal is to get the program working. Once it's "working," they move on to the next task, leaving the "working" program in whatever state they finally got it to "work." Most seasoned programmers know that this is professional suicide.
Args The Rough Draft Part 1
Args: The Rough Draft (Part 1)
Args: The Rough Draft (Part 1)
Listing 14-8 shows an earlier version of the Args class. It "works." And it's messy.
Listing 14-8
Args.java (first draft)
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.util.*;
public class Args {
private String schema;
private String[] args;
private boolean valid = true;
private Set<Character> unexpectedArguments = new TreeSet<Character>();
private Map<Character, Boolean> booleanArgs =
new HashMap<Character, Boolean>();
private Map<Character, String> stringArgs = new HashMap<Character, String>();
private Map<Character, Integer> intArgs = new HashMap<Character, Integer>();
private Set<Character> argsFound = new HashSet<Character>();
private int currentArgument;
private char errorArgumentId = '\0';
private String errorParameter = "TILT";
private ErrorCode errorCode = ErrorCode.OK;
private enum ErrorCode {
OK, MISSING_STRING, MISSING_INTEGER, INVALID_INTEGER, UNEXPECTED_ARGUMENT}
public Args(String schema, String[] args) throws ParseException {
this.schema = schema;
this.args = args;
valid = parse();
}
private boolean parse() throws ParseException {
if (schema.length() == 0 && args.length == 0)
return true;
parseSchema();
try {
parseArguments();
} catch (ArgsException e) {
}
return valid;
}
private boolean parseSchema() throws ParseException {
for (String element : schema.split(",")) {
Listing 14-8 (continued)
Args.java (first draft)
if (element.length() > 0) {
String trimmedElement = element.trim();
parseSchemaElement(trimmedElement);
}
}
return true;
}
private void parseSchemaElement(String element) throws ParseException {
char elementId = element.charAt(0);
String elementTail = element.substring(1);
validateSchemaElementId(elementId);
if (isBooleanSchemaElement(elementTail))
parseBooleanSchemaElement(elementId);
else if (isStringSchemaElement(elementTail))
parseStringSchemaElement(elementId);
else if (isIntegerSchemaElement(elementTail)) {
parseIntegerSchemaElement(elementId);
} else {
throw new ParseException(
String.format("Argument: %c has invalid format: %s.",
elementId, elementTail), 0);
}
}
private void validateSchemaElementId(char elementId) throws ParseException {
if (!Character.isLetter(elementId)) {
throw new ParseException(
"Bad character:" + elementId + "in Args format: " + schema, 0);
}
}
private void parseBooleanSchemaElement(char elementId) {
booleanArgs.put(elementId, false);
}
private void parseIntegerSchemaElement(char elementId) {
intArgs.put(elementId, 0);
}
private void parseStringSchemaElement(char elementId) {
stringArgs.put(elementId, "");
}
private boolean isStringSchemaElement(String elementTail) {
return elementTail.equals("*");
}
private boolean isBooleanSchemaElement(String elementTail) {
return elementTail.length() == 0;
}
private boolean isIntegerSchemaElement(String elementTail) {
return elementTail.equals("#");
}
Listing 14-8 (continued)
Args.java (first draft)
private boolean parseArguments() throws ArgsException {
for (currentArgument = 0; currentArgument < args.length; currentArgument++)
{
String arg = args[currentArgument];
parseArgument(arg);
}
return true;
}
private void parseArgument(String arg) throws ArgsException {
if (arg.startsWith("-"))
parseElements(arg);
}
private void parseElements(String arg) throws ArgsException {
for (int i = 1; i < arg.length(); i++)
parseElement(arg.charAt(i));
}
private void parseElement(char argChar) throws ArgsException {
if (setArgument(argChar))
argsFound.add(argChar);
else {
unexpectedArguments.add(argChar);
errorCode = ErrorCode.UNEXPECTED_ARGUMENT;
valid = false;
}
}
private boolean setArgument(char argChar) throws ArgsException {
if (isBooleanArg(argChar))
setBooleanArg(argChar, true);
else if (isStringArg(argChar))
setStringArg(argChar);
else if (isIntArg(argChar))
setIntArg(argChar);
else
return false;
return true;
}
private boolean isIntArg(char argChar) {return intArgs.containsKey(argChar);}
private void setIntArg(char argChar) throws ArgsException {
currentArgument++;
String parameter = null;
try {
parameter = args[currentArgument];
intArgs.put(argChar, new Integer(parameter));
} catch (ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException e) {
valid = false;
errorArgumentId = argChar;
errorCode = ErrorCode.MISSING_INTEGER;
Listing 14-8 (continued)
Args.java (first draft)
throw new ArgsException();
} catch (NumberFormatException e) {
valid = false;
errorArgumentId = argChar;
errorParameter = parameter;
errorCode = ErrorCode.INVALID_INTEGER;
throw new ArgsException();
}
}
private void setStringArg(char argChar) throws ArgsException {
currentArgument++;
try {
stringArgs.put(argChar, args[currentArgument]);
} catch (ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException e) {
valid = false;
errorArgumentId = argChar;
errorCode = ErrorCode.MISSING_STRING;
throw new ArgsException();
}
}
private boolean isStringArg(char argChar) {
return stringArgs.containsKey(argChar);
}
private void setBooleanArg(char argChar, boolean value) {
booleanArgs.put(argChar, value);
}
private boolean isBooleanArg(char argChar) {
return booleanArgs.containsKey(argChar);
}
public int cardinality() {
return argsFound.size();
}
public String usage() {
if (schema.length() > 0)
return "-[" + schema + "]";
else
return "";
}
public String errorMessage() throws Exception {
switch (errorCode) {
case OK:
throw new Exception("TILT: Should not get here.");
case UNEXPECTED_ARGUMENT:
return unexpectedArgumentMessage();
case MISSING_STRING:
return String.format("Could not find string parameter for -%c.",
errorArgumentId);
Listing 14-8 (continued)
Args.java (first draft)
case INVALID_INTEGER:
return String.format("Argument -%c expects an integer but was '%s'.",
errorArgumentId, errorParameter);
case MISSING_INTEGER:
return String.format("Could not find integer parameter for -%c.",
errorArgumentId);
}
return "";
}
private String unexpectedArgumentMessage() {
StringBuffer message = new StringBuffer("Argument(s) -");
for (char c : unexpectedArguments) {
message.append(c);
}
message.append(" unexpected.");
return message.toString();
}
private boolean falseIfNull(Boolean b) {
return b != null && b;
}
private int zeroIfNull(Integer i) {
return i == null ? 0 : i;
}
private String blankIfNull(String s) {
return s == null ? "" : s;
}
public String getString(char arg) {
return blankIfNull(stringArgs.get(arg));
}
public int getInt(char arg) {
return zeroIfNull(intArgs.get(arg));
}
public boolean getBoolean(char arg) {
return falseIfNull(booleanArgs.get(arg));
}
public boolean has(char arg) {
return argsFound.contains(arg);
}
public boolean isValid() {
return valid;
}
private class ArgsException extends Exception {
}
}
I hope your initial reaction to this mass of code is "I'm certainly glad he didn't leave it like that!" If you feel like this, then remember that's how other people are going to feel about code that you leave in rough-draft form. Actually "rough draft" is probably the kindest thing you can say about this code. It's clearly a work in progress. The sheer number of instance variables is daunting. The odd strings like "TILT," the HashSets and TreeSets, and the try-catch-catch blocks all add up to a festering pile. I had not wanted to write a festering pile. Indeed, I was trying to keep things reasonably well organized. You can probably tell that from my choice of function and variable names and the fact that there is a crude structure to the program. But, clearly, I had let the problem get away from me. The mess built gradually. Earlier versions had not been nearly so nasty. For example,
Listing 14-9 shows an earlier version in which only Boolean arguments were working.
Listing 14-9
Args.java (Boolean only)
package com.objectmentor.utilities.getopts;
import java.util.*;
public class Args {
private String schema;
private String[] args;
private boolean valid;
private Set<Character> unexpectedArguments = new TreeSet<Character>();
private Map<Character, Boolean> booleanArgs =
new HashMap<Character, Boolean>();
private int numberOfArguments = 0;
public Args(String schema, String[] args) {
this.schema = schema;
this.args = args;
valid = parse();
}
public boolean isValid() {
return valid;
}
private boolean parse() {
if (schema.length() == 0 && args.length == 0)
return true;
parseSchema();
parseArguments();
return unexpectedArguments.size() == 0;
}
private boolean parseSchema() {
for (String element : schema.split(",")) {
parseSchemaElement(element);
}
Listing 14-9 (continued)
Args.java (Boolean only)
return true;
}
private void parseSchemaElement(String element) {
if (element.length() == 1) {
parseBooleanSchemaElement(element);
}
}
private void parseBooleanSchemaElement(String element) {
char c = element.charAt(0);
if (Character.isLetter(c)) {
booleanArgs.put(c, false);
}
}
private boolean parseArguments() {
for (String arg : args)
parseArgument(arg);
return true;
}
private void parseArgument(String arg) {
if (arg.startsWith("-"))
parseElements(arg);
}
private void parseElements(String arg) {
for (int i = 1; i < arg.length(); i++)
parseElement(arg.charAt(i));
}
private void parseElement(char argChar) {
if (isBoolean(argChar)) {
numberOfArguments++;
setBooleanArg(argChar, true);
} else
unexpectedArguments.add(argChar);
}
private void setBooleanArg(char argChar, boolean value) {
booleanArgs.put(argChar, value);
}
private boolean isBoolean(char argChar) {
return booleanArgs.containsKey(argChar);
}
public int cardinality() {
return numberOfArguments;
}
public String usage() {
if (schema.length() > 0)
return "-["+schema+"]";
Listing 14-9 (continued)
Args.java (Boolean only)
else
return "";
}
public String errorMessage() {
if (unexpectedArguments.size() > 0) {
return unexpectedArgumentMessage();
} else
return "";
}
private String unexpectedArgumentMessage() {
StringBuffer message = new StringBuffer("Argument(s) -");
for (char c : unexpectedArguments) {
message.append(c);
}
message.append(" unexpected.");
return message.toString();
}
public boolean getBoolean(char arg) {
return booleanArgs.get(arg);
}
}
Although you can find plenty to complain about in this code, it's really not that bad. It's compact and simple and easy to understand. However, within this code it is easy to see the seeds of the later festering pile. It's quite clear how this grew into the latter mess. Notice that the latter mess has only two more argument types than this: String and integer. The addition of just two more argument types had a massively negative impact on the code. It converted it from something that would have been reasonably maintainable into something that I would expect to become riddled with bugs and warts. I added the two argument types incrementally. First, I added the String argument, which yielded this:
Listing 14-10
Args.java (Boolean and String)
package com.objectmentor.utilities.getopts;
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.util.*;
public class Args {
private String schema;
private String[] args;
private boolean valid = true;
private Set<Character> unexpectedArguments = new TreeSet<Character>();
private Map<Character, Boolean> booleanArgs =
new HashMap<Character, Boolean>();
Listing 14-10 (continued)