An excellent API makes it simpler to develop software since it provides all the building blocks, but a design error can destroy an otherwise excellent API. It is crucial for API programmers and designers to know the most popular API configuration errors and how they will be able to fix them to come up with APIs that programmers will want to utilize. Fortunately, below are some APIs problems and how you will fix them.
1. Consolidating The “using namespace” in the Global Extension of Your Public API Headers
It makes any symbols in the referenced namespace to be clear in the global namespace and cancel the advantages of utilizing namespaces in any case. Additionally:
- It is not conceivable for a client of your header file to initiate the inclusion of the namespace, so they are forced to live with your choice of a namespace, which is undesirable.
- A functional variant of the code may fail to run if another form of the library is presented. Besides, this occurs when the new model contains a name that conflicts with a name that the application utilizes from a different library.
- The “using namespace,” a piece of the code, results from the point where it is contained in the program that provides your header, implying that any previously displayed code, can be handled uniquely from any system showing afterward.
How can you fix this?
You should avoid including using namespace declarations in the header files. In case you want some namespace elements to get your headers to function, you can utilize an entirely qualified name (for instance, (std:: cout, std:: string) in the title files.
2. Not Marking the Move Constructor and Move Assignment Operator in Your API as No-Except
Usually, a movement activity is not required to throw. You are just taking away numerous pointers from the source code and directing it to your target object, which hypothetically should not throw.
An STL compartment might be able to use the Move constructor for its resizing activity, in case that builder doesn’t destroy its powerful, incredible safety feature. For instance, std:: vector does not use the move builders of its API object if it causes an exception. And this is due to an exception being directed into the move. So that the processed information can be lost, even though in a copy constructor, the first is not changed.
Therefore, if you do not review your move constructor and your move assignment operator in your API, as no-except, it can seriously affect performance for your customers if they intend to utilize the STL compartments. In this information, we will show you that a class that cannot be changed uses double the time to be inserted in vector and has eccentric memory spikes compared to a level that can be changed.
How to repair this?
Just mark the Move Builder and the Motion assignment operator as “no-except.”
Class tool
{
Public:
Tool (Tool &&) no-except;
};
3. Not Marking Non-Throwable APIs as No-Except
There are several consequences for marking an API as no-except, comprising specific compiler advancements, like for move constructor. But, from API design, the complexity of the code in your client is reduced if your API is not successful because the code does not now need to contain various try/catch blocks. And this has two extra advantages:
- The customer doesn’t need to compose unit reviews for these exception code paths
- The program coverage number for customer software is likely to be higher because the code is less complicated.
How to fix it?
Just check the APIs that did not start the no-except.
4. Failing to Mark Read-Only Data/Methods as Const
Sometimes your API uses a data structure of your customers as input. Marking methods and method parameters as constant indicates to the customer that he will use this data in read-only mode. On the contrary, if you do not mark the constants of the methods and parameters of your APIs, your client may be inclined to give you a copy of the data because they do not provide such guarantees. Depending on how often the client code calls your API, the impact on performance may be the least or severe.
How to repair this?
If your API requires read-only access to customer data, review the API’s methods and parameters as const.
5. Not Avoiding Unnecessary Header Includes
Unwanted header files can significantly increase execution times. Not only is this a waste of time for developers who want to develop the code locally with your APIs, but it also uses high costs by utilizing cycles on computed compilation agents that are likely to code a thousand times a day. Also, the presence of broad monolithic headings will affect the effectiveness of compilation parallelization systems such as Incredibuild and FastBuild.
How can you fix this?
- Your API should only contain headers that you need to execute. Using direct declarations can be beneficial for the following reasons:
- Decrease translation times
- It may be useful to override the cyclic dependency between the headers
- The use of precompiled headers may as well decrease compilation times.
Conclusion
Creating an API can be cumbersome, but there are benefits of developing an API using C++ language, which further accompanies container adaptors like C++ priority queue. It permits you to utilize all the power of C++ deliberation strategies to express the usefulness of your library/framework directly.
The knowledge of what the most frequently recognized errors in API tests are and how they can be invalidated is of fundamental importance in the toolbox of every developer. While there are a variety of additional errors that can arise with API testing, these are by far not the best known and most damaging ones. Fortunately, remembering these issues can overwrite a large number of additional errors with failed fixes. If you solve these problems correctly, API development can be a smooth and straightforward process.
