Welcome to northCoder

a blind man in a dark cellar looking for a black cat that isn't there

How to Break Java's Type Safety System

27 Jun 2022
A simple-looking piece of code which results in something other than a list of Integer values being stored in a List<Integer> object.

Notes on Floating Point Numbers in Java

12 Jun 2022
Some notes to self about inaccuracies in floating point values.

Converting File Formats Using Python 3

06 Mar 2022
I recently needed to convert text files created by one application into a completely different format, to be processed by a different application. The source files did not have line terminators. In some cases, the files were too large to be read into memory (without causing resource problems). A small Python script to the rescue - during which I learned about callables and sentinels.

Streaming and Parsing a CSV File

06 Mar 2022
Parsing a CSV file is a simple task, with great library support. This short example uses Commons CSV, together with Java streaming techniques. It also uses an enum, a lambda, a static factory method, a method reference, and other techniques. In other words, a combination of different tools, with some notes to help me remember it all.

Linux and Bash commands with ANSI-C escaping

17 Feb 2022
Quick note on the syntax for using control characters in bash commands…

Unexpected Data Truncation in Informatica

08 Jan 2022
Why is the data in one of my fields being truncated to 4,000 characters when I read from a data source or via a lookup?

Execution Stats for a Linux Process

02 Jan 2022
Note to self about gathering statistics for a Linux process, with a bonus note on generating a large random data file as input.

Installing Corretto on Amazon Linux 2

29 Dec 2021
Some basic notes on how to install Corretto onto a Linux 2 instance on AWS.

Thymeleaf vs. SpEL vs. OGNL

26 Nov 2021
Thymeleaf uses the Apache Commons OGNL (Object Graph Navigation Library). But there is also SpEL (the Spring Expression Language). This is a quick note on the differences - and an example where different behaviors may trip you up.

Thymeleaf - An Expression of Surprise

12 Nov 2021
Be wary of using hyphens (dashes) in Thymeleaf expression names, as these can lead to some surprising results.