CIS 338: ExerciseProject Review

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CIS 338 Exercise/Project Review

• Dr. Ralph D. Westfall
• October, 2008

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Submitting Exercises/Projects

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Specifications

• "You didn't say you wanted _____"
• specifications (specs) are always incomplete
• programmers/analysts get paid to solve problems
• incomplete specs is one of the problems
• avoid making unwarranted assumptions
• when in doubt, research things you can find on
  your own, ask about other things

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Quality of Solution

• right vs. better solutions
• calculations must be right
• 2 2 4 is the right answer
• 2 2 55 is a wrong answer
• what is right when creating something that
  can't be verified logically?
• art vs. science
• try to make user interface "better"

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Beware of "Tunnel Vision"

• use all information available to you, e.g.
• information in textbooks
• programming information on web sites
• online forms on the Internet
• but don't keep bugging clients
• don't ask for things you should be able to figure
  out on your own
• but do post messages to Discussions

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Timing

• make a schedule
• analysis, coding, testing and debugging,
  preparing materials to turn in
• include some "slack" (extra time) in schedule
• something always goes wrong

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Reliability

• your program HAS TO run on the clients computer
• you cant say It runs OK on my computer
• professors may get away with this but
• testing needs to include another computer
• testing needs to include unexpected conditions
• e.g., what happens if a web site gets 100,000 or
  1 million visitors? (Britannica)

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Help the User

• 25 cents may be better than 0.25
• 2 keystrokes, not 4
• label to explain this so user doesn't get
  confused
• use meaningful titles, align the labels, make
  textbox sizes proportional to inputs
• labels can make subtle distinctions clearer
• e.g., data is percent, not decimal
• format output(s) in currency where necessary
• keep buttons together, Exit on lower right

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Other Issues

• use Option Strict On
• consistently use object naming conventions
• btnname, txtname, frmname
• use comments, but don't overdo it
• comment "tricky" code, NOT obvious stuff
• well-chosen variable names reduce need for
  comments

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General Exercise/Project Issues

• be sure zip file is submitted
• extra/final step (button) after uploading
• screen print(s), all code, etc. should be in one
  Word .doc file
• penalty for every file imported for grading
• make sure all files are included in zip
• .doc, .vb, .sln, .suo, etc.
• bin and obj directories also

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Specific Exercise/Project Issues

• Textbox size should relate to size of data
• Decimal calculations, of digits after decimal
• Form1 caption not meaningful to user
• Naming convention not used (frm, txt, btn)
• Need to get rid of unused/"dead" code
• Comments don't overuse
• Project 1 9 out of 29 were late
• Code must be edited to get project to run?

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Example 1

• attractive layout
• output textbox disabled
• right aligned s
• not overly large
• but textboxes are much wider than inputs

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Example 2

• layout is good
• good feature output textbox is disabled
• textboxes too big on this one also
• numbers aligned left
• right or centered better?

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Example 3

• good feature shows grade and grade points
• Clear (reset) button
• labels are too wide, for both textboxes and
  buttons
• lot of unused space on form

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Example 4

• nice color and layout
• output textbox disabled, which is good
• but make textboxes less wide, to fit data
• get rid of unused space on upper left and bottom
  of form

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Example 5

• centering is better than left aligned s
• TextBoxes have too much vertical height
• frame around answer is helpful
• too many decimals
• but it's a common practice is to keep textboxes
  in one column

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Example 6

• Form1 (.Text) is not meaningful to user
• other comments?

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Example 7

• buttons in between textboxes is not the standard
  or typical arrangement