Skip to content
New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Code Review #286

Closed
zepumph opened this issue Dec 12, 2020 · 8 comments
Closed

Code Review #286

zepumph opened this issue Dec 12, 2020 · 8 comments

Comments

@zepumph
Copy link
Member

zepumph commented Dec 12, 2020

Expanding from #210, and also replacing #208. Code review is ready for this sim. Over to @jbphet. Some notes:

  • This is a bit earlier than I would normally do a code review, but with the holidays coming up, I think it is the best time for it right now.
  • Note that there are many bug reports still open in the sim. Note that there are multiple code-review issues open in the sim. I still think it is worth having a code-review even with these outstanding issues.
  • Please ignore TODOs that are linked to open issues, or to Will tangible input be included in the published simulation? #89 as tangible input will be worked on in the next release of this sim.
  • This sim is currently in dev testing, so likely more issue will come up as you review.
  • @jbphet, when we spoke last, you talked about perhaps early in the week of 12/14 would be when you would start this. I would love to discuss that workflow with you, because I could have time to devote to RaP during those days, but don't want to step on your toes.

Thanks! Let me know how I can support you.

NOTE! Prior to doing a code review, copy this checklist to a GitHub issue for the repository being reviewed. Delete the Table of Contents section, since the links will be incorrect.

PhET Code-Review Checklist (a.k.a "CRC")

  • Mark failed items with ❌
  • Call attention to items with ⚠️
  • Mark items that are not applicable with "N/A"

Table of Contents

GitHub Issues

The following standard GitHub issues should exist. If any of these issues is missing, or have not been completed, pause code review until the issues have been created and addressed by the responsible dev.

Build and Run Checks

If any of these items fail, pause code review.

  • Does the sim build without warnings or errors?
  • Does the html file size seem reasonable, compared to other similar sims?
  • Does the sim start up? (unbuilt and built versions)
  • Does the sim experience any assertion failures? (run with query parameter ea)
  • Does the sim pass a scenery fuzz test? (run with query parameters fuzz&ea)
  • Does the sim behave correctly when listener order is shuffled? (run with query parameters ea&shuffleListeners and ea&shuffleListeners&fuzz) ❌ see "Lock Ratio" unlocks itself with shuffleListeners on #300 and Ratios seem to be a little off with "shuffleListeners" on #301
  • Does the sim output any deprecation warnings? Run with ?deprecationWarnings. Do not use deprecated methods in new code.

Memory Leaks

  • Does a heap comparison using Chrome Developer Tools indicate a memory leak? (Describing this process is beyond the scope of this document.) Test on a version built using grunt --minify.mangle=false. Compare to testing results done by the responsible developer. ❌ From @jbphet - There is a small leak of about 2MB over 5 min. Looking through the additional elements I saw a number of BooleanProperty instances for buttons and sound clips. I'd recommend double checking that dispose is being called everywhere that it should be.
  • For each common-code component (sun, scenery-phet, vegas, …) that opaquely registers observers or listeners, is
    there a call to that component’s dispose function, or is it obvious why it isn't necessary, or is there documentation
    about why dispose isn't called? An example of why no call to dispose is needed is if the component is used in
    a ScreenView that would never be removed from the scene graph.
  • Are there leaks due to registering observers or listeners? The following guidelines should be followed unless documentation (in-line or in implementation-notes.md) describes why following them is not necessary.
    • AXON: Property.link or lazyLink is accompanied by unlink.
    • AXON: Property.multilink is accompanied by unmultilink.
    • AXON: Creation of Multilink is accompanied by dispose.
    • AXON: Creation of DerivedProperty is accompanied by dispose.
    • AXON: Emitter.addListener is accompanied by removeListener.
    • AXON: ObservableArrayDef.element*Emitter.addListener is accompanied by ObservableArrayDef.element*Emitter.removeListener
    • SCENERY: Node.addInputListener is accompanied by removeInputListener
    • TANDEM: Creation of an instrumented PhetioObject is accompanied by dispose.
  • Do all types that require a dispose function have one? This should expose a public dispose function that calls this.disposeMyType(), where disposeMyType is a private function declared in the constructor. MyType should exactly match the filename.

Performance

  • Play with sim, identify any obvious performance issues. Examples: animation that slows down with large numbers of objects; animation that pauses or "hitches" during garbage collection.
  • If the sim uses WebGL, does it have a fallback? Does the fallback perform reasonably well? (run with query parameter webgl=false) (N/A)

Usability

  • Are UI components sufficiently responsive? (especially continuous UI components, such as sliders)
  • Are pointer areas optimized, especially for touch? (run with query parameter showPointerAreas) (From @jbphet: I've logged a couple of minor issues on this, see Extend pointer area for "Lock Ratio" checkbox #302 and Icons appear to be individually pickable #303).
  • Do pointer areas overlap? (run with query parameter showPointerAreas) Overlap may be OK in some cases, depending on the z-ordering (if the front-most object is supposed to occlude pointer areas) and whether objects can be moved.

Internationalization

  • Are there any strings that are not internationalized, and does the sim layout gracefully handle internationalized strings that are shorter than the English strings? (run with query parameter stringTest=X. You should see nothing but 'X' strings.)

  • Does the sim layout gracefully handle internationalized strings that are longer than the English strings? (run with query parameters stringTest=double and stringTest=long) ❌ see stringTest=long looks bad #273

  • Does the sim stay on the sim page (doesn't redirect to an external page) when running with the query parameter
    stringTest=xss? This test passes if sim does not redirect, OK if sim crashes or fails to fully start. Only test on one
    desktop platform. For PhET-iO sims, additionally test ?stringTest=xss in Studio to make sure i18n strings didn't leak
    to phetioDocumentation, see https://github.com/phetsims/phet-io/issues/1377

  • Avoid using concatenation to create strings that will be visible in the user interface. Use StringUtils.fillIn and a string pattern to ensure that strings are properly localized.

  • Use named placeholders (e.g. "{{value}} {{units}}") instead of numbered placeholders (e.g. "{0} {1}").

  • Make sure the string keys are all perfect, because they are difficult to change after 1.0.0 is published. Guidelines for string keys are: ❌ see Use screen.<name> for screen name keys in strings file #304 for an issue about string keys

    (1) Strings keys should generally match their values. E.g.:

    "helloWorld": {
      value: "Hello World!"
    },
    "quadraticTerms": {
      value: "Quadratic Terms"
    }

    (2) If a string key would be exceptionally long, use a key name that is an abbreviated form of the string value, or that captures the purpose/essence of the value. E.g.:

    // key is abbreviated
    "iWentToTheStore": {
      value: "I went to the store to get milk, eggs, butter, and sugar."
    },
    
    // key is based on purpose
    "describeTheScreen": {
      value: "The Play Area is a small room. The Control Panel has buttons, a checkbox, and radio buttons to change conditions in the room."
    }

    (3) If string key names would collide, use your judgment to disambiguate. E.g.:

    "simplifyTitle": {
       value: "Simplify!"
    },
    "simplifyCheckbox": {
       value: "simplify"
    }

    (4) String keys for screen names should have the general form "screen.{{screenName}}". E.g.:

      "screen.explore": {
        "value": "Explore"
      },

    (5) String patterns that contain placeholders (e.g. "My name is {{first}} {{last}}") should use keys that are unlikely to conflict with strings that might be needed in the future. For example, for "{{price}}" consider using key "pricePattern" instead of "price", if you think there might be a future need for a "price" string.

  • If the sim was already released, make sure none of the original string keys have changed. If they have changed, make sure any changes have a good reason and have been discussed with @jbphet.

Repository Structure

  • The repository name should correspond to the sim title. For example, if the sim title is "Wave Interference", then the repository name should be "wave-interference".

  • Are all required files and directories present?
    For a sim repository named “my-repo”, the general structure should look like this (where assets/, images/, mipmaps/ or sounds/ may be omitted if the sim doesn’t have those types of resource files).

       my-repo/
          assets/
          doc/
             images/
                   *see annotation
             model.md
             implementation-notes.md
          images/
             license.json
          js/
             (see section below)
      mipmaps/
         license.json
          sound/
         license.json
          dependencies.json
          .gitignore
          my-repo_en.html
          my-repo-strings_en.json
          Gruntfile.js
          LICENSE
          package.json
          README.md

    *Any images used in model.md or implementation-notes.md should be added here. Images specific to aiding with documentation do not need their own license.

  • Verify that the same image file is not present in both images/ and mipmaps/. If you need a mipmap, use it for all occurrences of the image.

  • Is the js/ directory properly structured?
    All JavaScript source should be in the js/ directory. There should be a subdirectory for each screen (this also applies for single-screen sims, where the subdirectory matches the repo name). For a multi-screen sim, code shared by 2 or more screens should be in a js/common/ subdirectory. Model and view code should be in model/ and view/ subdirectories for each screen and common/. For example, for a sim with screens “Introduction” and “Lab”, the general directory structure should look like this:

       my-repo/
          js/
             common/
                model/
                view/
             introduction/
                model/
                view/
             lab/
                model/
                view/
             my-repo-config.js
             my-repo-main.js
             myRepo.js
  • Do filenames use an appropriate prefix? Some filenames may be prefixed with the repository name, e.g. MolarityConstants.js in molarity. If the repository name is long, the developer may choose to abbreviate the repository name, e.g. EEConstants.js in expression-exchange. If the abbreviation is already used by another respository, then the full name must be used. For example, if the "EE" abbreviation is already used by expression-exchange, then it should not be used in equality-explorer. Whichever convention is used, it should be used consistently within a repository - don't mix abbreviations and full names.

  • Is there a file in assets/ for every resource file in sound/ and images/? Note that there is not necessarily a 1:1 correspondence between asset and resource files; for example, several related images may be in the same .ai file. Check license.json for possible documentation of why some reesources might not have a corresponding asset file.

  • Was the README.md generated by grunt published-README or grunt unpublished-README?

  • Does package.json refer to any dependencies that are not used by the sim?

  • Is the LICENSE file correct? (Generally GPL v3 for sims and MIT for common code, see this thread for additional information).

  • Does .gitignore match the one in simula-rasa?

  • In GitHub, verify that all non-release branches have an associated issue that describes their purpose.

  • Are there any GitHub branches that are no longer needed and should be deleted?

  • Does model.md adequately describe the model, in terms appropriate for teachers? ❌ see model.md doesn't seem targeted to teachers #307

  • Does implementation-notes.md adequately describe the implementation, with an overview that will be useful to future maintainers? ❌ see implementation notes doc needs fleshing out #308

  • Sim-specific query parameters (if any) should be identified and documented in one .js file in js/common/ or js/ (if there is no common/). The .js file should be named {{PREFIX}}QueryParameters.js, for example ArithmeticQueryParameters.js for the aritmetic repository, or FBQueryParameters.js for Function Builder (where the FB prefix is used).

  • Query parameters that are public-facing should be identified using public: true in the schema.

Coding Conventions

This section deals with PhET coding conventions. You do not need to exhaustively check every item in this section, nor do you necessarily need to check these items one at a time. The goal is to determine whether the code generally meets PhET standards.

  • Is the code formatted according to PhET conventions? See phet-idea-code-style.xml for IntelliJ IDEA code style.

  • Names (types, variables, properties, Properties, functions,...) should be sufficiently descriptive and specific, and should avoid non-standard abbreviations. For example:

    const numPart = 100;            // incorrect
    const numberOfParticles = 100;  // correct
    
    const width = 150;              // incorrect
    const beakerWidth = 150;        // correct
  • Verify that Best Practices for Modules are followed.

  • For constructors, use parameters for things that don’t have a default. Use options for things that have a default value. This improves readability at the call site, especially when the number of parameters is large. It also eliminates order dependency that is required by using parameters.

    For example, this constructor uses parameters for everything. At the call site, the semantics of the arguments are difficult to determine without consulting the constructor.

    class BallNode extends Node {
    
      /**
       * @param {Ball} ball - model element
       * @param {Property.<boolean>} visibleProperty - is the ball visible?
       * @param {Color|string} fill - fill color
       * @param {Color|string} stroke - stroke color
       * @param {number} lineWidth - width of the stroke
       */
      constructor( ball, visibleProperty, fill, stroke, lineWidth ){
        // ...
      }
    }
    
    // Call site
    const ballNode = new BallNode( ball, visibleProperty, 'blue', 'black', 2 );

    Here’s the same constructor with an appropriate use of options. The call site is easier to read, and the order of options is flexible.

    class BallNode extends Node {
    
      /**
       * @param {Ball} ball - model element
       * @param {Property.<boolean>} visibleProperty - is the ball visible?
       * @param {Object} [options]
       */
      constructor( ball, visibleProperty, options ) {
    
        options = merge( {
          fill: 'white',  // {Color|string} fill color
          stroke: 'black', // {Color|string} stroke color
          lineWidth: 1 // {number} width of the stroke
        }, options );
    
        // ...
      }
    }
    
    // Call site
    const ballNode = new BallNode( ball, visibleProperty, {
      fill: 'blue',
      stroke: 'black',
      lineWidth: 2
    } );
  • When options are passed through one constructor to another, a "nested options" pattern should be used. This helps to avoid duplicating option names and/or accidentally overwriting options for different components that use the same option names. Make sure to use PHET_CORE/merge instead of _.extend or _.merge. merge will automatically recurse to keys named *Options and extend those as well.

    Example:

    class ParticleBoxNode extends Node {
    
      /**
       * @param {ParticleBox} particleBox - model element
       * @param {Property.<boolean>} visibleProperty - are the box and its contents visible?
       * @param {Object} [options]
       */
      constructor( particleBox, visibleProperty, options ) {
    
        options = merge( {
          fill: 'white',  // {Color|string} fill color
          stroke: 'black', // {Color|string} stroke color
          lineWidth: 1, // {number} width of the stroke
          particleNodeOptions: {
            fill: 'red',
            stroke: 'gray',
            lineWidth: 0.5
          },
        }, options );
    
        // add particle
        this.addChild( new ParticleNode( particleBox.particle, options.particleNodeOptions ) );
        ...
      }
    }

    A possible exception to this guideline is when the constructor API is improved by hiding the implementation details, i.e. not revealing that a sub-component exists. In that case, it may make sense to use new top-level options. This is left to developer and reviewer discretion.

    For more information on the history and thought process around the "nested options" pattern, please see A better way to pass through configuration tasks#730.

  • If references are needed to the enclosing object, such as for a closure, self should be defined, but it should only be used in closures. The self variable should not be defined unless it is needed in a closure. Example:

    const self = this;
    someProperty.link( function(){
      self.doSomething();
    } );
    this.doSomethingElse();
  • Generally, lines should not exceed 120 columns. Break up long statements, expressions, or comments into multiple
    lines to optimize readability. It is OK for require statements or other structured patterns to exceed 120 columns.
    Use your judgment!

  • Use class and extends for defining classes and implementing inheritance. PHET_CORE/inherit was a pre-ES6 implementation of inheritance that is specific to PhET and has been supplanted by class and extends. inherit should
    not be used in new code.

  • Functions should be invoked using the dot operator rather than the bracket operator. For more details, please see Style question: bracket notation vs dot notation gravity-and-orbits#9. For example:

    // avoid
    this[ isFaceSmile ? 'smile' : 'frown' ]();
    
    // OK
    isFaceSmile ? this.smile() : this.frown();
    
    // OK
    if ( isFaceSmile ) {
      this.smile();
    }
    else {
      this.frown();
    }
  • It is not uncommon to use conditional shorthand and short circuiting for invocation. Use parentheses to maximize readability.

    ( expression ) && statement;
    ( expression ) ? statement1 : statement2;
    ( foo && bar ) ? fooBar() : fooCat();
    ( foo && bar ) && fooBar();
    ( foo && !(bar && fooBar)) && nowIAmConfused();
    this.fill = ( foo && bar ) ? 'red' : 'blue';

    If the expression is only one item, the parentheses can be omitted. This is the most common use case.

    assert && assert( happy, 'Why aren\'t you happy?' );
    happy && smile();
    const thoughts = happy ? 'I am happy' : 'I am not happy :(';
  • Naming for Property values: All AXON/Property instances should be declared with the suffix Property. For example, if a visible property is added, it should have the name visibleProperty instead of simply visible. This will help to avoid confusion with non-Property definitions.

  • Properties should use type-specific subclasses where appropriate (.e.g BooleanProperty, NumberProperty, StringProperty) or provide documentation as to why they are not.

  • Are Validator validation options (valueType, validValues, etc...) utilized? These are supported in a number of core types like Emitter and Property. Is their presence or lack thereof properly documented?

  • Files should be named like CapitalizedCamelCasing.js when returning a constructor, or lowerCaseCamelCasing.js when returning a non-constructor function or singleton. When returning a constructor or singleton, the constructor name should match the filename.

  • Assertions should be used appropriately and consistently. Type checking should not just be done in code comments. Use Array.isArray to type check an array.

  • If you need to namespace an inner class, use {{namespace}}.register, and include a comment about why the inner class needs to be namespaced. Use the form '{{outerClassname}}.{{innerClassname}}' for the key. For example:

    import myNamespace from '...';
    
    class SlotMachineNode extends Node {
      constructor( ... ) {
        this.leverNode = new LeverNode(...);
        ...
      }
     ...
    }
    
    myNamespace.register( 'SlotMachineNode', SlotMachineNode );
    
    class LeverNode extends Node {
     ...
    }
    
    // It was useful to be able to instantiate this in the console for testing, and we may need to do so in the future.
    myNamespace.register( 'SlotMachineNode.LeverNode', LeverNode );
    
    return SlotMachineNode;
  • Putting unused parameters in callbacks is up to developer discretion, as long they are correct wrt to the actual callback signature.

For example, both of these are acceptable:

Property.multilink(
  [ styleProperty, activeProperty, colorProperty ],
  ( style, active, color ) => {
    // some algorithm that uses style and active
} );

Property.multilink(
  [ styleProperty, activeProperty, colorProperty ],
  ( style, active ) => {
    // some algorithm that uses style and active
} );

This is not acceptable, because the 3rd parameter is incorrect.

Property.multilink(
  [ styleProperty, activeProperty, colorProperty ],
  ( style, active, lineWidth ) => {
    // some algorithm that uses style and active
} );
  • ES5 getters/setters defined in sims should be used judiciously when a Property exists, only when the benefit of conciseness outweighs the potential loss of readability. If ES5 getters/setters exist, try to not mix usage of them with Property access.

Documentation

This section deals with PhET documention conventions. You do not need to exhaustively check every item in this section, nor do you necessarily need to check these items one at a time. The goal is to determine whether the code generally meets PhET standards.

  • All classes, methods and properties are documented.

  • Documentation at the top of .js files should provide an overview of purpose, responsibilies, and (where useful) examples of API use. If the file contains a subclass definition, it should indicate what functionality it adds to the superclass.

  • The HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript source code must be reasonably well documented. This is difficult to specify precisely, but the idea is that someone who is moderately experienced with HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript can quickly understand the general function of the source code as well as the overall flow of the code by reading through the comments. For an example of the type of documentation that is required, please see the example-sim repository.

  • Differentiate between Property and "property" in comments. They are different things. Property is a type in AXON; property is any value associated with a JavaScript object. Often "field" can be used in exchange for "property" which can help with clarity.

  • Classes that mix in traits or mixin should use the @mixes MyType annotation.

  • Line comments should generally be preceded by a blank line. For example:

    // Randomly choose an existing crystal to possibly bond to
    const crystal = this.crystals.get( _.random( this.crystals.length - 1 ) );
    
    // Find a good configuration to have the particles move toward
    const targetConfiguration = this.getTargetConfiguration( crystal );
  • When documenting conditionals (if/else statements), follow these guidlines:

    1. Comments above the first if in a conditional should be about the entire conditional, not just the if block.
    2. Comments should not break up sections of the conditional.
    3. If a comment is needed to describe a single block of the conditional, then add that comment just inside the block (no space between the if/else if/else and the comment), with a space below it as to not be confused with a comment about logic below.
    // Comment about the reason to split on peppers were pickled.
    if( peterPiperPickedAJarOfPickledPeppers ){
      // if we want to explain what this `if` statement is about
    
      peterAlsoHasBrine();
    }
    else {
    
      // documentation about why we have no peppers. This is about the next line of code, and not the "else as a whole block."
      peterHasNoPeppers();
    }
  • Line comments should have whitespace between the // and the first letter of the line comment. See the preceding example.

  • Do the @author annotations seem correct?

  • ES5 (inherit) constructors should be annotated with @constructor. ES6 (class) constructors should not be annotated with @constructor.

  • Constructor and function documentation. Parameter types and names should be clearly specified for each constructor and function using @param annotations. The description for each parameter should follow a hyphen. Primitive types should use lower case. For example:

    /**
     * The PhetDeveloper is responsible for creating code for simulations and documenting their code thoroughly.
     */
    class PhetDeveloper {
    
      /**
       * @param {string} name - full name
       * @param {number} age - age, in years
       * @param {boolean} isEmployee - whether this developer is an employee of CU
       * @param {function} callback - called immediate after coffee is consumed
       * @param {Property.<number>} hoursProperty - cumulative hours worked
       * @param {string[]} friendNames - names of friends
       * @param {Object} [options]
       */
      constructor( name, age, isEmployee, callback, hoursProperty, friendNames, options ) {
        ...
      }
    
      ...
    }
  • For most functions, the same form as above should be used, with a @returns annotation which identifies the return type and the meaning of the returned value. Functions should also document any side effects. For extremely simple functions that are just a few lines of simple code, an abbreviated line-comment can be used, for example: // Computes {Number} distance based on {Foo} foo.

  • Abstract methods (normally implemented with an error) should be marked with @abstract jsdoc.

Type Expressions

This section deals with PhET conventions for type expressions. You do not need to exhaustively check every item in this section, nor do you necessarily need to check these items one at a time. The goal is to determine whether the code generally meets PhET standards.

  • Type expressions should conform approximately to Google Closure Compiler syntax. PhET stretches the syntax in many cases (beyond the scope of this document to describe).

  • Prefer the most basic/restrictive type expression when defining APIs. For example, if a client only needs to know that a parameter is {Node}, don’t describe the parameter as {Rectangle}.

  • All method parameters should have type expressions. For example @param {number} width.

  • In sim-specific code, options and fields should have type expressions when their type is not obvious from the context. “Obvious” typically means that the value type is clearly shown in the righthand-side of the definition. E.g. const width = 42 clear shows that width is {number}. E.g. const checkbox = new Checkbox(…) clearly shows that checkbox is {Checkbox}. If the type is obvious from the context, the developer may still provide a type expression at his/her discretion. Examples:

    // @public {GameState} the current state of the game
    this.gameState = this.computeGameState();
    
    // @public (read-only) the width of the container
    this.containerWidth = 150;
    
    // @private the checkbox used to show particles
    this.particlesVisibleCheckbox = new Checkbox(...);
  • In common code repositories all options and fields should have type expressions, regardless of their visibility, and regardless whether their type is obvious from the context. If the same examples from above appeared in common code:

    // @public {GameState} the current state of the game
    this.gameState = this.computeGameState();
    
    // @public (read-only) {number} the width of the container
    this.containerWidth = 150;
    
    // @private {Checkbox} the checkbox used to show particles
    this.particlesVisibleCheckbox = new Checkbox(...);
  • Type expressions for Enumeration values should be annotated as instances of that Enumeration, see examples in https://github.com/phetsims/phet-core/blob/master/js/Enumeration.js for more.

    /**
     * @param {LeftOrRight} - whichHand
     */
     function getHand( whichHand ){
       if( whichHand === LeftOrRight.LEFT ){
         return new LeftHand();
       }
       else if( whichHand === LeftOrRight.RIGHT ){
         return new RightHand();
       }
      }
  • Type expressions for functions have a variety of possibilities, increasing in complexity depending on the case. In general note that {function} is not enough information. Here are some better options:

    1. The most basic option it to use Google Closure Type syntax, for more info see https://github.com/google/closure-compiler/wiki/Types-in-the-Closure-Type-System. This specifies the param/return types, but nothing more. Here are some examples:
      • @param {function()} noParamsAndNoReturnValue
      • @param {function(number)} giveMeNumberAndReturnNothing
      • @param {function(number, number):Vector2} getVector2
      • @param {function(new:Node)} createNode - a function that takes the Node constructor
    2. When needing to be a bit more specific, add a name to parameters of the function. Sometimes this is all that is needed for clarity on what the param does:
      • @param {function(model:MyModel, length:number, name:string): Node} getLengthNode
      • @param {function(aSelfExplanatoryNameForAString:string): Node} getStringNode
    3. If (2) isn't enough, use English to explain the parameters and return values. This is easy because they are named, and can be easily mentioned:
      • @param {function(model:MyModel, length:number, name:string): Node} getLengthNode - returns the length Node that you have always wanted, name is the name of the source of your aspirations, length is a special number according to the following 24 criteria. . .
    4. If needing more complexity, or using jsdoc rendering tools (like PhET-iO documentation does), you must use a JSDoc compatible format, not (2) or (3), and you may need to use the more complicated solution. See JSDoc docs for more info. Here is an example of a named callback:
      /**
       * @name mySpecialCallback
       * Converts a string to a number
       * @param {string}
       * @returns {number}
       */
      /**
       * @param {mySpecialCallback} callback
      */
      x = function( callback) { callback( 'still chocolate' ) };
  • Type expressions for anonymous Objects have a variety of possibilities, increasing in complexity depending on the case.

    1. When the documentation is close by, then {Object} is still acceptable. This mainly applies to options and similar patterns:
      • @param {Object} [options] // this is great because of the extend call 5 lines down
    2. When using an Object with specific properties, name them and their types like so:
      • @param {name:string, address:{street:string}, returnNode:function(number):Node, [shoeSize:number]} personalData // note that shoeSize is optional here
    3. When you need a bit more explanation, keep the same type expression as (2), but feel free to outline specifics in English after the param name.
      @ param {name:string, address:{street:string}, returnNode:function(number):Node, [shoeSize:number]} personalData - use english after to explain pieces of this
          (if needed, outline properties on their own lines)
          name is something
          address is something else
          returnNode does this thing
      
    4. Not all objects have named keys like (2) and (3). Here is how to document dictionary-like Objects, where each key is some type, and the value is another type. For key value pairs use this:
      • {Object.<string, number>} Where keys are strings, and values are numbers.
      • {Object.<phetioID:string, count:number>} - naming each of these can help identify them too. Feel free to explain in English after the type expression if needed.
    5. If things are too complicated for the above cases, use a *Def.js file (especially is used in more than one file), or a @typedef declaration right above the jsdoc that uses the typedef.
  • Look for cases where the use of type expressions involving Property subclasses are incorrect. Because of the structure of the Property class hierarchy, specifying type-specific Properties ({BooleanProperty}, {NumberProperty},...) may be incorrect, because it precludes values of type {DerivedProperty} and {DynamicProperty}. Similarly, use of {DerivedProperty} and {DynamicProperty} precludes values of (e.g.) {BooleanProperty}. Especially in common code, using {Property,<TYPE>} is typically correct, unless some specific feature of the Property subclass is required. For example, {Property.<boolean>} instead of {BooleanProperty}.

Visibility Annotations

This section deals with PhET conventions for visibility annotations. You do not need to exhaustively check every item in this section, nor do you necessarily need to check these items one at a time. The goal is to determine whether the code generally meets PhET standards.

Because JavaScript lacks visibility modifiers (public, protected, private), PhET uses JSdoc visibility annotations to document the intent of the programmer, and define the public API. Visibility annotations are required for anything that JavaScript makes public. Information about these annotations can be found here. (Note that other documentation systems like the Google Closure Compiler use slightly different syntax in some cases. Where there are differences, JSDoc is authoritative. For example, use Array.<Object> or Object[] instead of Array<Object>). PhET guidelines for visibility annotations are as follows:

  • Use @public for anything that is intended to be part of the public API.

  • Use @protected for anything that is intended for use by subtypes.

  • Use @private for anything that is NOT intended to be part of the public or protected API.

  • Put qualifiers in parenthesis after the annotation, for example:

    • To qualify that something is read-only, use @public (read-only). This indicates that the given Property (AND its value) should not be changed by outside code (e.g. a Property should not have its value changed)
    • To qualify that something is public to a specific repository, use (for example) @public (scenery-internal)
    • For something made public solely for a11y, use @public (a11y)
    • For something made public solely for phet-io, use @public (phet-io)
    • Separate multiple qualifiers with commas. For example: @public (scenery-internal, read-only)
  • For JSDoc-style comments, the annotation should appear in context like this:

    /**
     * Creates the icon for the "Energy" screen, a cartoonish bar graph.
     * @returns {Node}
     * @public
     */
  • For Line comments, the annotation can appear like this:

    // @public {function(listener:function)} - Adds a listener
    addListener: function( listener ) { /*...*/ }
  • Verify that every JavaScript property and function has a visibility annotation. Here are some helpful regular expressions to search for these declarations as PhET uses them.

    • Regex for property assignment like x.y = something: [\w]+\.[\w]+\s=
    • Regex for function declarations: [\w]+: function\(

Math Libraries

  • DOT/Utils.toFixed or DOT/Utils.toFixedNumber should be used instead of toFixed. JavaScript's toFixed is notoriously buggy. Behavior differs depending on browser, because the spec doesn't specify whether to round or floor.

IE11

  • IE is no longer supported. With that in mind remove IE-specific workarounds
  • Use string.includes and string.startsWith where possible.

Organization, Readability, and Maintainability

  • Does the organization and structure of the code make sense? Do the model and view contain types that you would expect (or guess!) by looking at the sim? Do the names of things correspond to the names that you see in the user interface?
  • Are appropriate design patterns used? See phet-software-design-patterns.md. If new or inappropriate patterns are identified, create an issue.
  • Is inheritance used where appropriate? Does the type hierarchy make sense?
  • Is composition favored over inheritance where appropriate? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_over_inheritance.
  • Is there any unnecessary coupling? (e.g., by passing large objects to constructors, or exposing unnecessary properties/functions)
  • Is there too much unnecessary decoupling? (e.g. by passing all of the properties of an object independently instead of passing the object itself)?
  • Are the source files reasonable in size? Scrutinize large files with too many responsibilities - can responsibilities be broken into smaller delegates?
  • Are any significant chunks of code duplicated? This will be checked manually as well as with https://github.com/danielstjules/jsinspect.
  • Is there anything that should be generalized and migrated to common code?
  • Are there any TODO or FIXME or REVIEW comments in the code? They should be addressed or promoted to GitHub issues.
  • Are there any magic numbers that should be factored out as constants and documented?
  • Are there any constants that are duplicated in multiple files that should be factored out into a {{REPO}}Constants.js file?
  • Does the implementation rely on any specific constant values that are likely to change in the future? Identify constants that might be changed in the future. (Use your judgement about which constants are likely candidates.) Does changing the values of these constants break the sim? For example, see allow minimum rows to go to "1" and address dependency on current minimum of "5" plinko-probability#84.
  • Is PhetColorScheme used where appropriate? Verify that the sim is not inventing/creating its own colors for things that have been standardized in PhetColorScheme. Identify any colors that might be worth adding to PhetColorScheme.
  • Are all dependent Properties modeled as DerivedProperty instead of Property?
  • All dynamics should be called from Sim.step(dt), do not use window.setTimeout or window.setInterval. This will help support Legends of Learning and PhET-iO.

Accessibility

This section may be omitted if the sim has not been instrumented for a11y.

  • Does the sim pass an accessibility fuzz test? (run with query parameters fuzzBoard&ea)
  • Run the accessible HTML through an HTML validator, does the HTML pass?
  • Are accessibility features integrated well into the code. They should be added in a maintainable way, even if that requires upfront refactoring.
  • Are accessible design patterns used, see accessible-design-patterns.md
  • Does resetting the simulation also reset the entire PDOM?
  • Is Node.accessibleOrder used appropriately to maintain visual and PDOM layout balance?
  • Make sure accessibility strings aren't being adjusted with ascii specific javascript methods like toUpperCase(). Remember that one day these strings will be translatable
  • Make sure for accessibility strings that all end of sentence periods do not have a leading space before it. Some screen readers will read these as "dot." This can occur often when a clause is conditionally added.

PhET-iO

This section may be omitted if the sim has not been instrumented for PhET-iO, but is likely good to glance at no matter.

  • Does instrumentation follow the conventions described in PhET-iO Instrumentation Guide?
    This could be an extensive bullet. At the very least, be sure to know what amount of instrumentation this sim
    supports. Describing this further goes beyond the scope of this document.
  • PhET-iO instantiates different objects and wires up listeners that are not present in the PhET-branded simulation.
    It needs to be tested separately for memory leaks. To help isolate the nature of the memory leak, this test should
    be run separately from the PhET brand memory leak test. Test with a colorized Data Stream, and Studio (easily
    accessed from phetmarks). Compare to testing results done by the responsible developer and previous releases.
  • Make sure unused PhetioObject instances are disposed, which unregisters their tandems.
  • Make sure JOIST dt values are used instead of Date.now() or other Date functions. Perhaps try
    phet.joist.elapsedTime. Though this has already been mentioned, it is necessary for reproducible playback via input
    events and deserves a comment in this PhET-iO section.
  • Are random numbers using phet.joist.random, and all doing so after modules are declared (non-statically)? For
    example, the following methods (and perhaps others) should not be used: Math.random, _.shuffle, _.sample, _.random.
    This also deserves re-iteration due to its effect on record/playback for PhET-iO.
  • Like JSON, keys for undefined values are omitted when serializing objects across frames. Consider this when
    determining whether toStateObject should use null or undefined values.
  • PhET prefers to use the term "position" to refer to the physical (x,y) position of objects. This applies to both
    brands, but is more important for the PhET-iO API. See location vs position phet-info#126
  • Are your IOType state methods violating the API of the core type by accessing private fields?
  • When defining a boolean Property to indicate whether something is enabled, use AXON/EnabledProperty. This
    should be done in both the model and the view.
@zepumph
Copy link
Member Author

zepumph commented Dec 15, 2020

See #269 for previous (recent) memory test info.

@jbphet
Copy link
Contributor

jbphet commented Dec 23, 2020

Code review complete, please search through the code for // REVIEW tags. I also did some fixing of formatting, comments, typos and such that were unlikely to be controversial. Overall, the structure looks good, conventions have been followed, and the code is readable.

I have one thought on the model that I'll set up a time with @zepumph to discuss. I think it might be too big of a change to be considered at this point, but it's worth a discussion.

Other than that, once the // REVIEW comments have been addressed it should be good to go for the next steps.

BTW, I stopped checking all the boxes above because it was taking forever, but I think I hit everything. Man, that checklist has gotten long.

@zepumph
Copy link
Member Author

zepumph commented Dec 28, 2020

You said:

      // REVIEW: This looks weird in terms of indentation.  Why not use \n or <br> and the + operator to keep it neater?
      phet.log && phet.log( `
left: ${antecedent}, 
right: ${consequent}, 
distance: ${Math.abs( consequent - antecedent )}, 
current ratio: ${this.ratio.currentRatio}, 
target ratio: ${this.targetRatioProperty.value},
unclampedFitness: ${unclampedFitness}
`
      );

I actually prefer this, as I think it is easier to read what the actual string will look like, and templated vars allow for the ${} shortcut to more easily fill in values. I moved the closing paren to a spot where I think it does a better job in framing the weird indentation block, bringing your eyes back to where the rest of the function is indented at. See 41f4dff.

@zepumph
Copy link
Member Author

zepumph commented Dec 28, 2020

I updated doc about the unclamped/clamped fitness Property. Please review. I didn't rename them though, because I still kinda feel like their current naming does a good job of trying to point people towards this.ratioFitnessProperty instead of treating both as equals. If you still feel differently after reading the updated doc, I'll be happy to rename.

  • Just let me know what you think.

@zepumph
Copy link
Member Author

zepumph commented Dec 28, 2020

// REVIEW: The linkage below seems quite complex, and appears to be a consequence of the design choice to use a
// tuple for the ratio instead of just independent antecedent and consequent properties. And yet, there are derived
// versions of antecedent and consequent properties above anyway. Wouldn't it be simpler to do away with the tuple
// and thus never be in a situation where it needed to be recreated because half of it had changed?

I totally understand why you feel this way. We started with that approach, and ended up factoring things out to a tuple, even though some input modalities (like RatioHalf's dragListener) require a single Property to be passed to it, and doesn't work with the tuple. The tuple is vital for changing both hands at once, and in supporting the "locked ratio" state. Otherwise you get complicated reentrant cases where changing the antecedent cascades to the consequent to snap it back into ratio.

One thing I was thinking about doing though to make things more clear, was to remove the antecedentProperty and consequentProperty from the model, and force the view to create them as needed. This, to me, helps focus the model around a single tuple. I'll create an issue to do that. I agree that it is confusing to have both the tuple and separate Properties.

@zepumph
Copy link
Member Author

zepumph commented Dec 28, 2020

See #327.

zepumph added a commit that referenced this issue Dec 28, 2020
zepumph added a commit that referenced this issue Dec 28, 2020
zepumph added a commit that referenced this issue Dec 28, 2020
zepumph added a commit that referenced this issue Dec 28, 2020
@zepumph
Copy link
Member Author

zepumph commented Dec 28, 2020

All review comments have been removed, and if I felt like something more was needed, I mentioned them above. @jbphet back to you. I'm going to head over to #327 now.

@jbphet
Copy link
Contributor

jbphet commented Jan 13, 2021

I think we're good here. There are a handful of child issues that are being followed up on, so we're safe to close this.

@jbphet jbphet closed this as completed Jan 13, 2021
Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment
Projects
None yet
Development

No branches or pull requests

2 participants