Stringly Typed Booleans

Posted on by

I’m getting rather hacked off seeing boolean properties typed as strings. Stringly typed is a phrase I learnt off a post from the excellent Coding Horror blog and it describes a phenomena whereby properties that are of a specific type, e.g. Boolean, Date, int, are stored needlessly as strings.

I’m working on a website that communicates with a money laundering service to check whether an individual is “bad” or not. Individuals can pass the test, but importantly it is possible to pass the test with some warning flags raised. If any of the warning flags are raised then an email should be sent off to compliance for them to do…whatever it is they do. Fair enough right?

The warning flags are obviously booleans. There was either a warning raised or there wasn’t – there are no two ways about it (no pun intended). In the serialized response, the warning flags are encoded as “Yes” or “No”…which is understandable. Now, upon receiving the response, it is parsed and turned into an internal representation. This is where things get really weird. The programmer that coded the object that stores the response from the service has decided to encode the warnings as strings, initialised to “”. Which is totally fucking bonkers.

Why?

Well, now our boolean warnings aren’t really booleans – they have WAY more than two possible values and the meaning of these values is subjective. One may consider “”, null, “No” as false, but could conceivably also consider “false” or “0″. We get the same sort of problem with true – “Yes”, “1″, “true” and then we get a whole load of unknown values which is every other possible string in the world. Which might be considered to be true.

So how the hell can any number of programmers work on this piece of code without introducing errors because of differing definitions of truthy and falsey values? Well, they can’t. To illustrate the problem further, even loosely typed languages differ in their boolean coercion, for example JavaScript and PHP:

<script>
if("0") alert('Opposite day!');
</script>

<?php
if("0") echo 'Opposite day!';
?>

JavaScript considers “0″ true but PHP considers it false. Personally I think JavaScript is “right” here, but as I said before, it is totally subjective.

The icing on the cake is of course the extra code you have to write to check the truthy or falsey string values. Something along the lines of “if x is not null and not empty and not the word No then it is probably true…probably”, which would otherwise have been coded as “if x then true” if x was a boolean – which is orders of magnitude shorter.

Of course, there are some bat shit crazy strongly typed languages that allow you to assign null to a Boolean, but that is a different story altogether.

9,844 thoughts on “Stringly Typed Booleans”

  5. Big bass bonanza reviews if you choose to switch briefcases, it means that free spins winnings must be wagered 30 times before a withdrawal is allowed. The cards you didnt select are replaced, while the second one will definitely not last very long. Modern Slavery Statement Here’s the Megaways slot breakdown: SpinYoo feels like it was built by slot game fans for slot game fans. Its lobby is stacked with over 3,000 slot games from top providers like Play’n GO, Nolimit City, Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming, and more. You can go from chasing Razor Returns one minute to laid-back spins on Moon Princess Trinity the next, with Megaways and cluster-pay options sprinkled throughout. Betting starts low enough for casual play, but there’s no shortage of high-limit action for those chasing bigger stakes.
    https://usetril.cz/app-features-casino-kingdom-an-online-casino-game-review-for-new-zealand-players/
    Are you a poker player looking for a fresh and thrilling experience outside the poker tables? Look no further than Bigger Bass Bonanza, a slot game that combines the simplicity of slots with the excitement of big wins, making it an attractive option for poker players ready to explore the vibrant world of slot games. Before starting, you will be asked to set your preferred bet amount. In Big Bass Bonanza, bets range from $0.10 to $250 per spin. If you are new to online casino slots, start with the smallest betting amount to keep your bankroll safe. We craft the Big Bass Bonanza Pragmatic Play slot with a streamlined free spins feature, triggered by scatter symbols, to deliver an engaging experience. Our team balances simplicity with high reward potential, incorporating vibrant animations to enhance immersion for players.

  7. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a very well written article. I?ll be sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I?ll certainly return.

  10. You made some decent points there. I appeared on the internet for the issue and found most people will associate with together with your website.

  21. Excellent web site. Plenty of useful info here. I?m sending it to some friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your sweat!

  28. Heya just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different web browsers and both show the same results.

  35. Fantastic goods from you, man. I have understand your stuff previous to and you’re just too fantastic. I really like what you have acquired here, certainly like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can’t wait to read much more from you. This is really a terrific website.

  36. The Plinko game was developed by Spribe Gaming, a licensed company known for creating innovative and engaging online gambling games. Spribe has a solid reputation in the gaming market and is trustworthy, known for its fair and safe games. Place your plinko bets and win more. Contamos con los Mercados Oficiales de la Liga profesional.Accedé a estadísticas exclusivas, información detallada de cada jugada y todos los resultados del fútbol argentino para potenciar tus ganancias en apuestas en vivo. Million Plinko invites players into a game of chance and strategy, where a ball is dropped into a multi-row pin pyramid and bounces unpredictably through a series of pegs before landing in a slot at the bottom. Each slot carries a multiplier that determines the player’s payout, offering a unique balance of suspense and reward.
    https://phuongthaoiphone.vn/blazespinspromocodeuk-slot-games-top-picks-for-uk-players/
    You can play together with this particular Twice for each Day Time code inside Dark Jack port & Video Clip Poker video games. In Buy To take money, Reward sum awarded must be wagered a multiple associated with 50x periods. You can play with this Special Upon signal up code within Slots, Keno, Scrape Playing Cards online games. To Be Capable To withdraw typically the cash, (Bonus+Deposit) amount granted need to be wagered a several of 25x times. Right After an individual begin launching funds directly into your own recently developed account, a person endure to obtain a 250% up to $2500 match-up reward, and typically the bonus presents will keep trickling inside upward to your 6th buy-in. Regardless Of Whether and how a person can cancel a bonus will count on typically the offer plus typically the online casino. A Few casinos basically permit a person cancel the particular zero down payment bonus by going to your profile area and picking this alternative. Within other situations, you may have in order to contact the customer assistance team.

  44. New players can claim RagingBull Casino free rotates as part of the welcome offer, giving them a head start with out requiring down payment. Regular players usually takes edge of ongoing marketing promotions and RagingBull On line casino bonus codes” “in order to unlock even more free spins and cash bonuses. These provides allow players to be able to extend their game play and increase their possibilities of winning with no additional risk. To start off, it is important to be able to admit the Raging Bull casino web-site is extremely well prepared. A great variety of pokies are live for all players from Sydney, several convenient financial options, decent bonus deals, and competitive special offers! With Raging Bull, an individual don’t have to worry about virtually any of that. CDS provides timely quality to issues impacting online players. The casino accepts EUR, AUD, GBP, USD, BTC and CAD as currencies. Now you then have a personal account inside the Bull online casino, and you could make a deposit and play for real money without any problems. All your personal information is securely encrypted. To” “enter in your personal account, you have to enter the Raging Bull on line casino login (email) plus password.
    https://snazzybikes.co.uk/jaak-casino-bonus-uk-gaming-hub-unlock-big-bet-rewards-for-uk-gamers/
    new slot releaseslot sequelprint studiosgnome-themed slotpine of plinko 2video slot It’s not that Pine of Plinko 2 is as much of a surprise as the first version was, but it’s more about Print Studios managing to cherish the elements that made the original popular while adding enough new details to make the sequel fun as well. Pond of Plinko has 6 types of Enhancers. Each collected Enhancer applies to one of the stages in the Plinko Game, and up to 3 Enhancers may be collected per stage. The Pine of Plinko 2 RTP rate is 96.32% which is higher than the 96% slots average. Print Studios has also created an alternative 94.32% RTP version so check by opening the game’s paytable. All free slot demos at OLBG use the highest RTP setting by the way. To start playing Pine of Plinko 2, select your desired bet amount, which will determine your potential payouts. Once you are ready, release the ball from the top of the board and observe its path through the pegs. The ball will bounce unpredictably, landing in one of the slots at the bottom, each corresponding to different prize values. The excitement lies in the uncertainty of where the ball will land, making each round uniquely thrilling.

  45. I’ve learned a number of important things by means of your post. I’d personally also like to mention that there might be situation that you will apply for a loan and do not need a co-signer such as a Fed Student Aid Loan. In case you are getting that loan through a regular bank or investment company then you need to be able to have a cosigner ready to assist you. The lenders will base their own decision using a few variables but the greatest will be your credit rating. There are some lenders that will as well look at your work history and determine based on this but in most cases it will depend on your score.

  46. One other thing is that an online business administration program is designed for college students to be able to smoothly proceed to bachelor degree education. The Ninety credit certification meets the other bachelor college degree requirements then when you earn your current associate of arts in BA online, you will get access to up to date technologies in this particular field. Some reasons why students would like to get their associate degree in business is because they’re interested in this area and want to receive the general education and learning necessary before jumping in a bachelor college diploma program. Thx for the tips you provide in your blog.

  49. This is an accepted version of this page There is no better way to get started at Raging Bull Slots. So grab this offer and sign up today! This is an accepted version of this page Raging Bull has the best and biggest casino bonuses available ANYWHERE online. Use your Welcome bonus, get free spins every day and enjoy our weekly specials. 100% up to$100 While testing and reviewing casinos with Inclave login, we also looked at how many people are actually searching for them, and the numbers are telling. According to Ahrefs, the phrase “Inclave casinos” gets around 4,700 monthly searches in the U.S. alone and over 6,800 globally. That’s a strong signal of growing interest. Raging Bull has the best and biggest casino bonuses available ANYWHERE online. Use your Welcome bonus, get free spins every day and enjoy our weekly specials.
    https://organikane.com/explore-777-casino-promo-code-uk-unlock-exclusive-bonuses/
    We ship US & Hawaii Learn more “Based on our findings, professional traders, investment advisories, and hedge funds should limit the risk taken by young male traders,” continued Nadler. “This is the first study to have shown that testosterone changes the way the brain calculates value and returns in the stock market and therefore — testosterone’s neurologic influence will cause traders to make suboptimal decisions unless systems prevent them from occurring.” This is a wonderful series, until reading your series I was a stock picker from 2012 until now. Just last month I decided to use VUN (vanguard total US market) and VOO (S&P 500) as benchmarks and figured I have trailed the market since 2012 but have a higher overall yield. I sold off some of my positions in April and am slowing building up my positions in VUN to make it my largest holding. Stock picking is too hard. From now on, any new cash will go to VUN. I am tired of looking for the next Apple or Amazon.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>