Question

I wrote both of these for correcting rectangles. For example, if a rectangle has these properties:

X:32, Y:32, Width:-32, Height:-32

This will make the rectangle X:0, Y:0, Width:32, Height:32

if (r.Width < 0)
{
    r.X -= Math.Abs(r.Width);
    r.Width = Math.Abs(r.Width);
}
if (r.Height < 0)
{
    r.Y -= Math.Abs(r.Height);
    r.Height = Math.Abs(r.Height);
}

Here is #2

r.X -= Math.Abs(Math.Min(0, r.Width));
r.Width = Math.Abs(r.Width);

r.Y -= Math.Abs(Math.Min(0, r.Height));
r.Height = Math.Abs(r.Height);

They both work just fine. My question is which? I feel like the first may be faster and more readable but the second has less lines of code. Also, I feel like this is something that may have been invented already. Is there a method that does this already in the .NET or XNA Framework?

Thanks!!

Edit: Someone posted a shortened version of the second way which I really like and combined it into this:

r = new Rectangle(r.X + Math.Min(0, r.Width), r.Y + Math.Min(0, r.Height), Math.Abs(r.Width), Math.Abs(r.Height));

Honestly I prefer less lines to more and I don’t think this is too complex. If anything I can place a comment or encapsulate it in to a method with a descriptive name.

Answer 1

If you know r.Width and r.Height are < 0 why do you need to Abs on them? Remove that and it will be even faster, and simpler.

if (r.Width < 0)
{
    r.X += r.Width;
    r.Width = -r.Width;
}
if (r.Height < 0)
{
    r.Y += r.Height;
    r.Height = -r.Height;
}

IMHO the second way you’ve written of doing this is just plain ugly. You don’t look at it and immediately realise what it’s doing. Remember KISS.

EDIT: I understand you like your code in the fewest lines possible so I re-engineered the above:

if (r.Width < 0) { r.X += r.Width; r.Width = -r.Width; } if (r.Height < 0) { r.Y += Height; r.Height = -r.Height; }

Just as simple – and all in one line of code! It’s even less characters on the line than your alternative….

Line count is generally not a good measure of programming beauty – but of course it’s your code so you’ve got to go with what brings you the most joy.