• Mike D. (unregistered) in reply to Arlen Cuss
    Arlen Cuss:
    Only now you have to escape pipes (with nulls).
    Unless you're British Petroleum, which is having a lot of trouble with things escaping pipes right now.
  • Rodger C. (unregistered)

    TRWTF is running IIS on a production server... oh wait, I'm thinking of something else...

  • Kempeth (unregistered) in reply to TehShrike
    TehShrike:
    Kempeth:
    Duh! Never heard of Pipe terminated strings?

    Very similar to null terminated strings but with support for null characters!

    You made me laugh in the middle of a tasty drink! I'd be angry at you if I wasn't still giggling.

    Well. You did have to clean the screen sooner or later...

    TehShrike: I was drinking a coke and reading TDWTF. I just took a sip when I had to laugh so hard... Visitor110 enters channel TehShrike: I sprayed it all over the screen. Visitor110 left channel (sick bastards!).

  • Scooter (unregistered)

    I have an idea where this comes from: Pipe-delimited fixed length strings where the preferred data exchange format of mainframe-based applications. Sometimes I get this kind of files if requesting data from older SAP installations or other legacy systems.

    I bet the application was once upon a time a pretty frontend to an ugly mainframe data hog. And then came the request to port that to an SQL based database. As usual with the requirement not to break compatibility with the mainframe. And voila, there you have strange SQL queries emulating an Iron Pig until the end of time...

  • ChristofferC (unregistered) in reply to Markp

    I still don't get it. A picture of a pipe... So what?

  • scav (unregistered) in reply to Axl
    Axl:
    Google image search is your friend

    Google image search is his girlfriend too

  • Joo Giss (unregistered) in reply to ParkinT
    ParkinT:
    ...the developer should have been halved
    Drawn and Quartered, at least!
    Why do you assume he doesn't already have a place to live? And why the obsession about real people depicted in comics?
  • Peck Us Bill (unregistered) in reply to Kempeth
    Kempeth:
    TehShrike: I was drinking a coke and reading TDWTF. I just took a sip when I had to laugh so hard... Visitor110 enters channel TehShrike: I sprayed it all over the screen. Visitor110 left channel (sick bastards!).
    That's nice.
  • Jasper (unregistered)

    Besides the pipes there are ofcourse a number of other WTFs in this code: the Java programmer obviously hasn't read the chapter about the "for" statement yet, and code like the getSubstring() method makes my toes curl. Besides the fact that the method has a stupid name, it should have been written like this:

    public String getSubstring(String s) {
    int len = s.length();
    return len > 1 ? s.substring(0, len - 1) : "";
}

    The original code is almost as stupid as:

    if (condition == true) {
    return true;
}
else {
    return false;
}
  • Jasper (unregistered) in reply to ChristofferC
    ChristofferC:
    I still don't get it. A picture of a pipe... So what?
    In Dutch we'd call someone like you a "cultuurbarbaar". ;-)
  • (cs)

    "This|Comment!", -- space(13)

  • (cs) in reply to Max
    Max:
    DCRoss:
    Ceci n'est pas une pipe.

    How is this not a featured comment yet?

    The editor(s) do not know French!

  • Matt Westwood (unregistered) in reply to ParkinT
    ParkinT:
    Max:
    DCRoss:
    Ceci n'est pas une pipe.

    How is this not a featured comment yet?

    The editor(s) do not know French!

    ... or culture, come to that ...

  • Jeff (unregistered)

    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

  • Chezmondo (unregistered) in reply to Jeff
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

  • Procedural (unregistered) in reply to scav
    scav:
    Axl:
    Google image search is your friend

    Google image search is his girlfriend too

    Awesome.

  • dont bother reading this (unregistered) in reply to Chezmondo
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.

  • Quirkafleeg (unregistered) in reply to dont bother reading this
    dont bother reading this:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.
    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)
    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.
    Getawhat?
  • Anonymous (unregistered) in reply to dont bother reading this
    dont bother reading this:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.

    I'm a software developer, what is this "life" of which you speak?

  • Dirge (unregistered) in reply to Scooter
    Scooter:
    I have an idea where this comes from: Pipe-delimited fixed length strings where the preferred data exchange format of mainframe-based applications. Sometimes I get this kind of files if requesting data from older SAP installations or other legacy systems.

    I was thinking along these lines as well, although my theory is that the app was written by an old-school mainframe developer using the methods they were familiar with, even though there was not a mainframe involved anymore.

    I've seen a lot of bad code result from people who learned coding back in the very olden days and don't take the time to learn about how modern programming languages make things easier. My favourite was the literally 30-plus-line block of code that did a specialized find-and-replace. It wasn't even a generalized function! IIRC, it did something like parse the input string character-by-character looking for the delimiter (which was hardcoded, of course). It converted each value into an integer, then inserted the integer into an array. After it was done, it iterated through the array again and converted each integer back into a string for output. IIRC, it was to do something like convert CSV text into pipe-delimited text.

  • Randy Snicker (unregistered) in reply to dont bother reading this
    dont bother reading this:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.

    Who is Ali Fe and what do you need him for? For Heimlich?

  • Randy Snicker (unregistered) in reply to dont bother reading this
    dont bother reading this:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.

    Who is Ali Fe and what do you need him for? For Heimlich?

  • Randy Snicker (unregistered) in reply to Randy Snicker
    Randy Snicker:
    dont bother reading this:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.

    Who is Ali Fe and what do you need him for? For Heimlich?

    Wow! If you accidentally double click the submit button, it sends two comments!
  • @Deprecated (unregistered) in reply to Anonymous
    Anonymous:
    dont bother reading this:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Excuse me - <<cough>> getalife <<cough>> - something in my throat.

    I'm a software developer, what is this "life" of which you speak?

    I believe he is referring to the 'design life cycle' of a software project. Or maybe just that computer simulation.

    PS., saying "something in my throat" is just asking for a ceci nes't pas une pipe

  • similis (unregistered) in reply to Chezmondo
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Maybe they are getting ready to change the name to "The 'Three Day a Week' WTF"

  • A Real Man (unregistered)

    Real men delimit with dollar signs.

  • Richard Roe (unregistered) in reply to A Real Man
    A Real Man:
    Real men delimit with dollar signs.

    How many folks are left that would understand this?

  • Dirk (unregistered) in reply to ¿Que?
    ¿Que?:
    Not sure why "This is not a pipe" scores big. Am I missing something?
    [image]
  • Chris (unregistered)

    You, sir, are a funny guy.

  • Chris (unregistered)
    Ali Fe:
    Randy Snicker:
    Who is Ali Fe and what do you need him for? For Heimlich?

    I am Ali Fe. Height is 1 m 80 cm and weight is 85 kg. Only men as friend but I am not the gay. Please for pretty girls visit me my face book. No pitcure yet but promise I am very hand some.

    http://www.facebook.com/people/Ali-Fe/1812552275

  • Kempeth (unregistered) in reply to similis
    similis:
    Chezmondo:
    Jeff:
    TRWTF is that its 7:19am in Seattle and today's WTF has not yet been posted.

    It's 15:43 in the UK, we've been waiting even longer! :)

    Maybe they are getting ready to change the name to "The 'Three Day a Week' WTF"
    It wouldn't be the worst name change in this site's history...

  • Je moeder (unregistered) in reply to Jasper
    Jasper:
    ChristofferC:
    I still don't get it. A picture of a pipe... So what?
    In Dutch we'd call someone like you a "cultuurbarbaar". ;-)

    In het engels noemen we iemand als jij pretentieus.

  • Ben (unregistered)

    |I can guess why |
    |they're adding pipes to | |the end of every fixed | |length string. |

  • WilliamF (unregistered)

    all this talk of |'s makes me $stringy

  • Jasper (unregistered) in reply to Je moeder
    Je moeder:
    Jasper:
    ChristofferC:
    I still don't get it. A picture of a pipe... So what?
    In Dutch we'd call someone like you a "cultuurbarbaar". ;-)

    In het engels noemen we iemand als jij pretentieus.

    My English dictionary doesn't contain the word "pretentieus". ;-)

  • Je moeder (unregistered) in reply to Jasper
    Jasper:
    Je moeder:
    Jasper:
    ChristofferC:
    I still don't get it. A picture of a pipe... So what?
    In Dutch we'd call someone like you a "cultuurbarbaar". ;-)

    In het engels noemen we iemand als jij pretentieus.

    My English dictionary doesn't contain the word "pretentieus". ;-)

    Sorry, missed a good opportunity for a joke there. Second try:

    In het Engels hebben we niet iemand bellen als u pretentieuze.

  • hmischuk (unregistered) in reply to Kempeth

    Yea, but without support for pipe characters!

  • The secretary of Nibh (unregistered) in reply to Je moeder
    Je moeder:
    Jasper:
    Je moeder:
    Jasper:
    ChristofferC:
    I still don't get it. A picture of a pipe... So what?
    In Dutch we'd call someone like you a "cultuurbarbaar". ;-)

    In het engels noemen we iemand als jij pretentieus.

    My English dictionary doesn't contain the word "pretentieus". ;-)

    Sorry, missed a good opportunity for a joke there. Second try:

    In het Engels hebben we niet iemand bellen als u pretentieuze.

    My hovercraft is full of eels.
  • (cs) in reply to Vilx-
    Vilx-:
    Now, as for why every query requires to select exactly 31 cells, that's a bit of an embarrassing story which will not be told here.
    Baskin Robins App?
  • CODE BINGA (unregistered)

    Thank God for programs like these. They keep me in business !!

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