Outlook Mobile Challenges
Instructions
Create a new private GitHub repository and push your commits to it as you are completing the challenge.
Once you are ready, please download a copy of the repo and attach it to an email for us to review.
Please include a short introduction about yourself either in the README or as part of the email.
Don't hesitate to ask us questions. Displaying creativity is a bonus in all challenges.
What We Look For
Code Consistency
The code should be consistently formatted. Consistent code reduces syntax related distractions and helps us focus on the important logic. Use a code linter if necessary to help you spot these inconsistencies.
Example of Inconsistent Code:
if (a == b) {
//
} else if (a == c)
{
//
}
else {
//
}Variable Naming Clarity
We should be able to understand the logic of code blocks by reading the names of variables and functions. A clearly named variable means we won't need to look up the definition of the variable or function right away in order to understand what it does.
Example of Clear Code:
var listEvents = function(cb) {
var tasks = [
fetchEventsForSharedCalendars,
fetchEventsForUserCalendars
];
parallel(tasks, function(error, results) {
if (error) {
log.error(error);
return cb(error);
}
var events = flatten(results);
return cb(null, events);
});
};Useful Comments
A comment should be used in cases where the code cannot be formatted to fix clarity. The comment should allow us to skip over code blocks when looking for an overview of the code. We can come back later to the smaller bits of code to confirm they do what the comment says.
Example of Useful Comments:
for (NSNumber *timestamp in timestampArray) {
// Create Start Date
NSDate *startDate = [NSDate dateWithTimeIntervalSince1970:icaltime_as_timet([timestamp doubleValue])];
// Ignore Before Earliest Date
if ([startDate compare:earliestDate] == NSOrderedAscending) {
continue;
}
// Ignore EXDATE
BOOL isExcludedDate = NO;
for (NSDate *excludedDate in excludedDates) {
if ([startDate isEqualToDate:excludedDate]) {
isExcludedDate = YES;
}
}
if (isExcludedDate == YES) {
continue;
}
// Ignore After Latest Date
if ([startDate compare:latestDate] == NSOrderedDescending) {
continue;
}
// Save Valid Start Date
[datesArray addObject:startDate];
}Unit Tests
Write unit tests for critical parts of your app. The process of writing tests for your code also reminds you of input cases that you may have missed before.
Example of Multiple Input Unit Tests:
- (void)testEncodedURLQueryString
{
NSDictionary *dictionary = nil;
// Should return nil on non-NSString values
dictionary = @{@"key": [[UIView alloc] init]};
XCTAssert([dictionary queryString] == nil);
// Should return nil on nested values
dictionary = @{@"key": @{@"key1": @"value1"}};
XCTAssert([dictionary queryString] == nil);
// Should return urlEncoded key value pairs joined with `&`
dictionary = @{@"key#0": @"value#0", @"key#1": @"value#1"};
XCTAssert([[dictionary queryString] isEqualToString:@"key%230=value%230&key%231=value%231"]);
}