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A lot of code editors (Xcode doesn't by default, but you can easily configure it to) have a keyboard shortcut for duplicating the current line. I have plenty of times accidentally made changes at the wrong place in a file because I was mistaken about where the cursor was.

The lesson is to always make sure to look at your diffs before you commit your changes.




And to have someone else look at your diffs and sign off on them before it's merged into master.

Google / Chrome does this, and so should everyone else, even more so if they're dealing with security.


That's a good measure too, although I think with a mistake like this, the person writing the code might be more likely to spot the mistake than someone else.

It also makes me wonder if the diff display shouldn't have a specific notation for duplicated lines, since they are a special case that can easily be mistaken for a trivial change to a line with the way diffs are typically shown.


Strongly agree with the lesson. I got burned once, produced a security hole by merging a messy config file. The problem was quickly detected, but I have not checked in a single commit after that without first going through all the diffs. Plus, I sometimes notice possible improvements during such a review. It's very helpful.




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