Mike;

My take on what George has asked and provided is different then yours. It is my understanding that George was addressing whether or not mdot is always faster.

From George:
“Given the number of posts regarding the use of the "mdot" prefix with objects such as "This", I decided to design a test to determine if this was always the case. My results are posted after the code that follows”.

From Mike:

“Does that mean we should never fly? Isn't that what you're arguing -- that the mdot fails to be faster in a narrow experiment and so it should be avoided?

I believe you must test for the real world”.

I think that George’s experiment did as you requested and I am glad he brought this to our attention.

Programmers learn how to use a tool and become accustomed to how they like to code based upon experience, study and word of mouth. Sometimes we presume something is true and it becomes a ledged and in this case more than one person has thought that mdot was always the “fastest”.

There may be specific instances when something is thought to be always useful but it is important to test supposed truths. George posted his question and how he tested for the results he obtained and others provided feedback. Getting the word out with the results and an examination of the code and conditions utilized does have value to those that want to learn. Then again there are some people that are blessed and know everything. :)


Tom


>Hi George
>
>>When the term "always" is used it should be able to be applied in every case. Is "mdot" faster in every case? No, simply because you can come up with instances where it isn't regardless of the construct of the test. Is writing in-line code always faster in every case? No! Is passing parameters by reference always faster in every case? No!
>
>Such absolutes are best left to your choice of deities. I can create a wing, take it into a wind tunnel and prove it has good lift. If I then jump off a cliff with that wing, the coroner will be reporting the results of my testing. The wing was made of balsa and only 5 inches long. Does that mean we should never fly? Isn't that what you're arguing -- that the mdot fails to be faster in a narrow experiment and so it should be avoided?
>
>I believe you must test for the real world. The need for mdot comes from the expectation that a table will be open and that fields take precedence. IWO, the normal case for VFP is to have a table open. Mdot is only an issue with dBase derivatives. All I hope is that people see how even you were tripped by it (while attempting to prove it isn't necessary ;) ) and learn to use it correctly.
>
>As to Fabio's m.this, if that causes a c5, VFPT should investigate.
>
>Thanks!