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Why int instead of named enums?

GameDev: Arena Contests

Started by dalleboy August 09, 2003 03:00 PM

6 comments, last by dalleboy 20 years, 8 months ago

dalleboy

324

Author

August 09, 2003 03:00 PM

Why insist of using for example TurnLeft(int rate) instead of TurnLeft(TurnRate rate) where TurnRate would be an enum defined to the following:


enum TurnRate
{
   TURN_SLOW,
   TURN_FAST
};

BrianL

530

August 09, 2003 03:56 PM

Well, if its in an interface which may be used by C or other languages, then ints are more standard.

Enums are generally a better solution, but in big systems can be problems because you can''t forward declare them -- they lead to twisted dependencies.

I would go with the enum as they are just simpler and less error prone, unless I had a really good reason not to.

khawk

3,752

August 09, 2003 04:47 PM

Does it _really_ matter? This interface is not set in stone and is very susceptible to changes anyway. Besides, those particular enums are assigned values equivalent to int's.. (4 byte integer values).

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MichaelT

214

August 09, 2003 04:52 PM

quote:Original post by dalleboy
Why insist of using for example TurnLeft(int rate) instead of TurnLeft(TurnRate rate)

Why insist on using enum??

Just a curious thought!?

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Nypyren

12,313

August 10, 2003 05:46 AM

Probably because intellisense will give you a drop-down of all the members of an enum?

dalleboy

324

Author

August 10, 2003 08:06 AM

quote:Original post by MichaelT
Why insist on using enum??

Just a curious thought!?

dalleboy

324

Author

August 10, 2003 08:10 AM

quote:Original post by BrianL
Well, if its in an interface which may be used by C or other languages, then ints are more standard.

Perhaps true, but the GDArena uses C++ virtual member functions, so the interface is not really meant for any other language than C++.

(I know that virtual functions exist in other languages and can be implemented even in C, but ain''t that a bit harder than implementing enums?)

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Dredge-Master

175

August 10, 2003 09:53 AM

quote:Original post by dalleboy
Why insist of using for example TurnLeft(int rate) instead of TurnLeft(TurnRate rate)

Personnel preference. Usually the reason behind most things.

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