Code Positivity - Revision history

Lou Montana: Fix width on HD monitors

2025-12-09T16:34:16Z

Fix width on HD monitors

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:34, 9 December 2025
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	{		{
	// finally do something		// finally do something
	// <- this is called Hadouken code style as per the {{Link\|https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/27yykv/indent_hadouken/\|shape}} drawn by the brackets
			// <- this is called Hadouken code style as per
			// the {{Link\|https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/27yykv/indent_hadouken/\|shape}} drawn by the brackets
	};		};
	};		};
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	\|-		\|-
	\| <enforce>		\| <enforce>
	// whenever possible without rewriting everything or doubling the methods, of course		// whenever possible without rewriting everything
			// or doubling the methods, of course
	if (unit.IsAlive() && unit.IsInjured())		if (unit.IsAlive() && unit.IsInjured())
	DoHealThing();		DoHealThing();

Lou Montana: Fix link

2025-02-28T17:06:31Z

Fix link

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:06, 28 February 2025
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	== Overview ==		== Overview ==

	Code negation is (usually) using [[not]] (in [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]]) or {{hl\|!}} (in both [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]] and [[DayZ:Enforce Script Syntax\|Enforce]] {{GameCategory\|armaR\|Modding\|Guidelines~~\|Scripting~~\|text= Script}}); all in all, it is about searching for the opposite of what one wants. Examples:		Code negation is (usually) using [[not]] (in [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]]) or {{hl\|!}} (in both [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]] and [[DayZ:Enforce Script Syntax\|Enforce]] {{GameCategory\|armaR\|Modding\|Scripting\|Guidelines\|text= Script}}); all in all, it is about searching for the opposite of what one wants. Examples:
	{\| class="wikitable valign-top" style="width: 100%"		{\| class="wikitable valign-top" style="width: 100%"
	! style="width: 50%" \| SQF		! style="width: 50%" \| SQF

Lou Montana: Some wiki formatting

2025-01-28T14:23:26Z

Some wiki formatting

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:23, 28 January 2025
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	\|}		\|}

	Research<ref>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10733819_Effects_of_Negation_and_Situational_Presence_on_the_Accessibility_of_Text_Information</ref>		Research<ref>{{Link\|https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10733819_Effects_of_Negation_and_Situational_Presence_on_the_Accessibility_of_Text_Information}}</ref>
	has<ref>https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221438570_Some_Issues_on_Detecting_Negation_from_Text</ref>		has<ref>{{Link\|https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221438570_Some_Issues_on_Detecting_Negation_from_Text}}</ref>
	shown<ref>https://medium.com/@Cuadraman/why-to-stop-writting-negavite-code-af5ffb17195</ref>		shown<ref>{{Link\|https://medium.com/@Cuadraman/why-to-stop-writting-negavite-code-af5ffb17195}}</ref>
	that '''negation''' in general (not just in code but also in reading, teaching etc) makes processing sentences more difficult for the human brain, making its message less impactful		that '''negation''' in general (not just in code but also in reading, teaching etc) makes processing sentences more difficult for the human brain, making its message less impactful
	(although not in all cases<ref>https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/true-or-false-how-our-brain-processes-negative-statements.html</ref>).		(although not in all cases<ref>{{Link\|https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/true-or-false-how-our-brain-processes-negative-statements.html}}</ref>).

Lou Montana: Fix

2024-05-16T17:15:52Z

Fix

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:15, 16 May 2024
Line 5:		Line 5:
	== Overview ==		== Overview ==

	Code negation is (usually) using [[not]] (in [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]]) or {{hl\|!}} (in both [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]] and [[DayZ:Enforce Script Syntax\|Enforce]] {{GameCategory\|armaR\|Modding\|Guidelines\|Scripting\|text= Script}}; all in all, it is about searching for the opposite of what one wants. Examples:		Code negation is (usually) using [[not]] (in [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]]) or {{hl\|!}} (in both [[SQF Syntax\|SQF]]/[[SQS Syntax\|SQS]] and [[DayZ:Enforce Script Syntax\|Enforce]] {{GameCategory\|armaR\|Modding\|Guidelines\|Scripting\|text= Script}}); all in all, it is about searching for the opposite of what one wants. Examples:
	{\| class="wikitable valign-top" style="width: 100%"		{\| class="wikitable valign-top" style="width: 100%"
	! style="width: 50%" \| SQF		! style="width: 50%" \| SQF

Lou Montana: Lou Montana moved page Writing sqf without negation to Code Positivity without leaving a redirect: Name standard

2024-05-16T17:05:10Z

Lou Montana moved page Writing sqf without negation to Code Positivity without leaving a redirect: Name standard

← Older revision	Revision as of 19:05, 16 May 2024
(No difference)

Lou Montana: "Some" wiki formatting

2024-05-16T17:04:48Z

"Some" wiki formatting

Show changes

Nelis75733126: first "commit"

2024-05-04T21:28:54Z

first "commit"

New page

== Writing SQF code without negation ==
This page provides some insights into what it means to try and write SQF in a positive way. Meaning: in a way that tries to avoid negation as much as is practical.

=== What is "negation"? ===
Negation refers to formulating a sentence in a negative way. Here are some examples:
* "do NOT do that!"
* "do NOT change that thing!"
* "he is NOT happy!"
Simply put: any sentence with the word "NOT" in it is using negation.

=== Why care about negation? ===
Research has shown ( look it up if you wish ) that the human brain has more difficulty processing sentences with negation in it. Which could lead to the need for reading a sentence multiple times. 
The same goes for code in any language.

=== [[exitWith]] is your friend :) ===
To show you why, here is an example of how something could be written '''with''' negation, followed by code '''without''' negation that does exactly the same thing.
<sqf>
/*
with negation, basic checks on params.
a typical "only continue if all parameters meet the required conditions"
*/
[ controlNull, objNull, 0, true ] call {
if( !isNull( _this select 0 ) ) then {
if( !isNull( _this select 1 ) ) then {
if( !isNil{ _this select 2 } ) then {
if( !isNil{ _this select 3 } ) then {
systemChat "all checks passed";
};
};
};
};
};
</sqf>
<sqf>
// same result as example above, but without negation.
[ controlNull, objNull, 0, true ] call {
if( isNull( _this select 0 ) ) exitWith {};
if( isNull( _this select 1 ) ) exitWith {};
if( isNil{ _this select 2 } ) exitWith {};
if( isNil{ _this select 3 } ) exitWith {};
systemChat "all checks passed";
};
</sqf>
In the two examples above, avoiding negation makes the code a lot more simple and avoids many nested checks.

=== Where avoiding negation becomes...... awkward ===
When trying to avoid negation in all types of situations, it can get awkward inside of a function that COULD have a parameter that needs to be handled IF it is something other than Null. 
As you are probably aware, there is no such thing as a command which checks for the opposite of <sqf inline>isNull</sqf>.
For example, in a function where passing a control is '''optional''':
<sqf>
[ controlNull, true ] call {
params [
["_this0", controlNull,[controlNull]],
["_this1", false,[false]]
];
if NOT(isNull _this0) then { systemChat "the control exists" };
// if it is null, just move on quietly.
if( _this select 1 ) then { systemChat str( random 9000 ) };
};
</sqf>
In the example above, the goal is to just move on if an argument is missing or null. therefore, avoiding negation with <sqf inline>exitWith</sqf> is impossible. 
If one were to write that same code without negation, '''it would become very complicated, harder to read, and SLOWER''' than simply using <sqf inline>NOT</sqf>.
An example of that can be seen below:
<sqf>
[ player ] call {
if( ( ( str( _this select 0 ) find "NULL" ) == -1 ) then {}; // yes it works, but is a lot slower than just using NOT(isNull)
};
</sqf>
What that does is it wraps the parameter into a string, which for [[objNull]] would become <sqf inline>"<NULL-object>"</sqf>. 
Then, simply look for <sqf inline>"NULL"</sqf> in there, and if [[find]] returns -1, it sure is a valid object!

=== CONCLUSION ===
Yes, it is possible to avoid negation entirely. However, there is a cost. '''Depending on the situation, it can lead to a significant increase in code execution time.'''. 
Therefore, it would be fair to say that striving to avoid negation can be beneficial to the readability of the code, but it becomes a paradox when avoiding it in any given situation.
 
{{ Feature | Informative | This page means to only offer up another way of writing SQF code, without invoking any hierarchical '''this is better''' nonsense.}}

== See also ==

* [[Code Optimisation]]
* [[Mission Optimisation]]
* [[Multiplayer Scripting]]

[[Category:Arma Scripting Tutorials]]