WeakReferenceDictionary

Further to the last post on my implementation of a strongly-typed variant of WeakReferemce, I thought it would be apropos to post another utility class surrounding weak references. This one really is more academic than useful considering that one could just stick WeakReference<T> into a regular Dictionary<TKey, TValue> and get almost the same functionality. All this class really does is hide away how we're managing the reference inside the dictionary.

/// <summary>
/// Represents a dictionary that only holds weak references on values stored within it.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="TKey">The type of the key.</typeparam>
/// <typeparam name="TValue">The type of the value.
/// <remarks>This must be a reference type (by definition, there's no reason to have a weak reference on value types).</remarks>
/// </typeparam>
public class WeakReferenceDictionary<TKey, TValue> : IDictionary<TKey, TValue> where TValue : class
{
    private readonly Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>> realDictionary;

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary"/>
    /// class that is empty, has the default initial capacity, and uses the default
    /// equality comparer for the key type.
    /// </summary>
    public WeakReferenceDictionary()
    {
        this.realDictionary = new Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>>();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary"/>
    /// class that is empty, has the specified initial capacity, and uses the default
    /// equality comparer for the key type.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="capacity">
    /// The initial number of elements that the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionar"/>
    /// can contain.
    /// </param>
    /// <exception cref="System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException">
    /// <paramref name="capacity"/> is less than <c>0</c>.
    /// </exception>
    public WeakReferenceDictionary(int capacity)
    {
        this.realDictionary = new Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>>(capacity);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary"/>
    /// class that is empty, has the default initial capacity, and uses the specified
    /// <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer" />.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="comparer">
    /// The <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer" /> implementation to use
    /// when comparing keys, or <c>null</c> to use the default <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.EqualityComparer" />
    /// for the type of the key.
    /// </param>
    public WeakReferenceDictionary(IEqualityComparer<TKey> comparer)
    {
        this.realDictionary = new Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>>(comparer);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary" />
    /// class that is empty, has the specified initial capacity, and uses the specified
    /// <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer" />.
    /// <param name="capacity">
    /// The initial number of elements that the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary" />
    /// can contain.
    /// </param>
    /// <param name="comparer">
    /// The <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer<T>" /> implementation to use
    /// when comparing keys, or <c>null</c> to use the default <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.EqualityComparer<T>" />
    /// for the type of the key.
    /// </param>
    /// <exception cref="System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException">
    /// <paramref name="capacity"/> is less than <c>0</c>.
    /// </exception>
    public WeakReferenceDictionary(int capacity, IEqualityComparer<TKey> comparer)
    {
        this.realDictionary = new Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>>(capacity, comparer);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary<TKey, TValue>"/>
    /// class that contains elements copied from the specified <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary<TKey,TValue>" />
    /// and uses the default equality comparer for the key type.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="dictionary">The <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary<TKey,TValue>" /> whose elements are
    /// copied to the new <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary<TKey, TValue>"/>.
    /// </param>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="dictionary"/> is <c>null</c>.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentException">
    /// <paramref name="dictionary"/> contains one or more duplicate keys.
    /// </exception>
    public WeakReferenceDictionary(IDictionary<TKey, TValue> dictionary)
    {
        this.realDictionary = new Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>>(
            dictionary.ToDictionary(pair => pair.Key, pair => new WeakReference<TValue>(pair.Value)));
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary<TKey, TValue>"/>
    /// class that contains elements copied from the specified <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary<TKey,TValue>" />
    /// and uses the specified <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer<T>" />.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="comparer">
    /// The <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary<TKey,TValue>" /> whose elements are
    /// copied to the new <see cref="WeakReferenceDictionary<TKey, TValue>"/>.
    /// </param>
    /// <param name="dictionary">
    /// The <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.IEqualityComparer<T>" /> implementation to use
    /// when comparing keys, or <c>null</c> to use the default <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.EqualityComparer<T>" />
    /// for the type of the key.
    /// </param>
    /// <exception cref="System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="dictionary"/> is <c>null</c>.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="System.ArgumentException">
    /// <paramref name="dictionary"/> contains one or more duplicate keys.
    /// </exception>
    public WeakReferenceDictionary(IDictionary<TKey, TValue> dictionary, IEqualityComparer<TKey> comparer)
    {
        this.realDictionary = new Dictionary<TKey, WeakReference<TValue>>(
            dictionary.ToDictionary(pair => pair.Key, pair => new WeakReference<TValue>(pair.Value)),
            comparer);
    }

    #region IDictionary<TKey,TValue> Members

    /// <summary>
    /// Adds an element with the provided key and value to the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="key">The object to use as the key of the element to add.</param>
    /// <param name="value">The object to use as the value of the element to add.</param>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="key"/> is null.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentException">
    /// An element with the same key already exists in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.NotSupportedException">
    /// The <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/> is read-only.
    /// </exception>
    public void Add(TKey key, TValue value)
    {
        this.realDictionary.Add(key, new WeakReference<TValue>(value));
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Determines whether the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/> contains an element with the specified key.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="key">The key to locate in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// true if the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/> contains an element with the key; otherwise, false.
    /// </returns>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="key"/> is null.
    /// </exception>
    public bool ContainsKey(TKey key)
    {
        return this.realDictionary.ContainsKey(key);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets an <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> containing the keys of the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <value></value>
    /// <returns>
    /// An <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> containing the keys of the object that implements <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </returns>
    public ICollection<TKey> Keys
    {
        get
        {
            return this.realDictionary.Keys;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Removes the element with the specified key from the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="key">The key of the element to remove.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// true if the element is successfully removed; otherwise, false.  This method also returns false if <paramref name="key"/> was not found in the original <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </returns>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="key"/> is null.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.NotSupportedException">
    /// The <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/> is read-only.
    /// </exception>
    public bool Remove(TKey key)
    {
        return this.realDictionary.Remove(key);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets the value associated with the specified key.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="key">The key whose value to get.</param>
    /// <param name="value">When this method returns, the value associated with the specified key, if the key is found; otherwise, the default value for the type of the <paramref name="value"/> parameter. This parameter is passed uninitialized.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// true if the object that implements <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/> contains an element with the specified key; otherwise, false.
    /// </returns>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="key"/> is null.
    /// </exception>
    public bool TryGetValue(TKey key, out TValue value)
    {
        WeakReference<TValue> reference;
        if (this.realDictionary.TryGetValue(key, out reference))
        {
            value = reference.Target;
            return true;
        }
        else
        {
            value = default(TValue);
            return false;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets an <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> containing the values in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <value></value>
    /// <returns>
    /// An <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> containing the values in the object that implements <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IDictionary`2"/>.
    /// </returns>
    public ICollection<TValue> Values
    {
        get
        {
            return this.realDictionary
                .Values
                .Select(value => value.Target)
                .ToList()
                .AsReadOnly();
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the value associated with the specified key.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="key">The key of the value to get or set.</param>
    /// <returns>The value associated with the specified key. If the specified key is not
    /// found, a get operation throws a <see cref="System.Collections.Generic.KeyNotFoundException"/>,
    /// and a set operation creates a new element with the specified key.</returns>
    /// <exception cref="System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// <paramref name="key"/> is <c>null</c>.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="System.Collections.Generic.KeyNotFoundException">
    /// The property is retrieved and the key does not exist in the collection.
    /// </exception>
    public TValue this[TKey key]
    {
        get
        {
            return this.realDictionary[key].Target;
        }
        set
        {
            this.realDictionary[key] = new WeakReference<TValue>(value);
        }
    }

    #endregion

    #region ICollection<KeyValuePair<TKey,TValue>> Members

    /// <summary>
    /// Adds an item to the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="item">The object to add to the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.</param>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.NotSupportedException">
    /// The <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> is read-only.
    /// </exception>
    void ICollection<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>>.Add(KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue> item)
    {
        Add(item.Key, item.Value);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Removes all items from the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.NotSupportedException">
    /// The <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> is read-only.
    /// </exception>
    public void Clear()
    {
        this.realDictionary.Clear();
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Determines whether the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> contains a specific value.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="item">The object to locate in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// true if <paramref name="item"/> is found in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>; otherwise, false.
    /// </returns>
    bool ICollection<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>>.Contains(KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue> item)
    {
        return this.realDictionary.ContainsKey(item.Key);
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Copies the elements of the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> to an <see cref="T:System.Array"/>, starting at a particular <see cref="T:System.Array"/> index.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="array">The one-dimensional <see cref="T:System.Array"/> that is the destination of the elements copied from <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>. The <see cref="T:System.Array"/> must have zero-based indexing.</param>
    /// <param name="arrayIndex">The zero-based index in <paramref name="array"/> at which copying begins.</param>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// 	<paramref name="array"/> is null.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException">
    /// 	<paramref name="arrayIndex"/> is less than 0.
    /// </exception>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentException">
    /// 	<paramref name="array"/> is multidimensional.
    /// -or-
    /// <paramref name="arrayIndex"/> is equal to or greater than the length of <paramref name="array"/>.
    /// -or-
    /// The number of elements in the source <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> is greater than the available space from <paramref name="arrayIndex"/> to the end of the destination <paramref name="array"/>.
    /// -or-
    /// Type <paramref name="T"/> cannot be cast automatically to the type of the destination <paramref name="array"/>.
    /// </exception>
    void ICollection<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>>.CopyTo(KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>[] array, int arrayIndex)
    {
        if (array == null)
        {
            throw new ArgumentNullException("array", "Array cannot be null");
        }

        if ( (arrayIndex < 0) || (arrayIndex > array.Length) )
        {
            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException("array", "Index must be a non-negative value within the array");
        }

        if ((array.Length - arrayIndex) < this.realDictionary.Count)
        {
            throw new ArgumentException("Array is too small", "array");
        }

        foreach (var pair in this.realDictionary)
        {
            array[arrayIndex++] = new KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>(pair.Key, pair.Value.Target);
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets the number of elements contained in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <value></value>
    /// <returns>
    /// The number of elements contained in the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.
    /// </returns>
    public int Count
    {
        get
        {
            return this.realDictionary.Count;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets a value indicating whether the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> is read-only.
    /// </summary>
    /// <value></value>
    /// <returns>true if the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> is read-only; otherwise, false.
    /// </returns>
    public bool IsReadOnly
    {
        get
        {
            return false;
        }
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Removes the first occurrence of a specific object from the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="item">The object to remove from the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.</param>
    /// <returns>
    /// true if <paramref name="item"/> was successfully removed from the <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>; otherwise, false. This method also returns false if <paramref name="item"/> is not found in the original <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/>.
    /// </returns>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.NotSupportedException">
    /// The <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.ICollection`1"/> is read-only.
    /// </exception>
    bool ICollection<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>>.Remove(KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue> item)
    {
        return Remove(item.Key);
    }

    #endregion

    #region IEnumerable<KeyValuePair<TKey,TValue>> Members

    /// <summary>
    /// Returns an enumerator that iterates through the collection.
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns>
    /// A <see cref="T:System.Collections.Generic.IEnumerator`1"/> that can be used to iterate through the collection.
    /// </returns>
    public IEnumerator<KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>> GetEnumerator()
    {
        foreach (var pair in this.realDictionary)
        {
            yield return new KeyValuePair<TKey, TValue>(pair.Key, pair.Value.Target);
        }
    }

    #endregion

    #region IEnumerable Members

    /// <summary>
    /// Returns an enumerator that iterates through a collection.
    /// </summary>
    /// <returns>
    /// An <see cref="T:System.Collections.IEnumerator"/> object that can be used to iterate through the collection.
    /// </returns>
    System.Collections.IEnumerator System.Collections.IEnumerable.GetEnumerator()
    {
        return GetEnumerator();
    }

    #endregion
}

So there you have it, WeakReferenceDictionary<TKey, TValue>. It's not a complete replacement for a regular dictionary as it doesn't support all the same interfaces such as the ICollection or ISerialization. Also, I haven't fully commented everything as well as perhaps it should be. I'll leave all that as an exercise for you.

Strongly-typed WeakReference

I was playing around with weak references recently and wanted to tidy up my code a little – there were casts everywhere – so I knocked up a derivation using generics. I'm sure someone somewhere already did this, but I thought I'd share it anyway, so here it is.

/// <summary>
/// Strongly-typed weak reference.
/// </summary>
/// <typeparam name="T">The type of object being referenced.</typeparam>
public class WeakReference<T> : WeakReference, ISerializable where T : class
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the  <see cref="WeakReference<T>"/> class, referencing
    /// the specified object.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="target">An object to track.</param>
    public WeakReference(T target)
        : base(target)
    {

    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the  <see cref="WeakReference<T>"/> class, referencing
    /// the specified object and using the specified resurrection tracking.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="target">An object to track.</param>
    /// <param name="trackResurrection">Indicates when to stop tracking the object. If <c>true</c>, the object is tracked
    /// after finalization; if <c>false</c>, the object is only tracked until finalization..</param>
    public WeakReference(T target, bool trackResurrection)
        : base(target, trackResurrection)
    {
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Initializes a new instance of the <see cref="WeakReference<T>"/> class.
    /// </summary>
    /// <param name="info">An object that holds all the data needed to serialize or deserialize the current <see cref="T:System.WeakReference"/> object.</param>
    /// <param name="context">(Reserved) Describes the source and destination of the serialized stream specified by <paramref name="info"/>.</param>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.ArgumentNullException">
    /// 	<paramref name="info"/> is null. </exception>
    protected WeakReference(SerializationInfo info, StreamingContext context)
        : base(info, context)
    {
    }

    /// <summary>
    /// Gets or sets the object (the target) referenced by the current <see cref="T:System.WeakReference"/> object.
    /// </summary>
    /// <value></value>
    /// <returns>null if the object referenced by the current <see cref="T:System.WeakReference"/> object has been garbage collected; otherwise, a reference to the object referenced by the current <see cref="T:System.WeakReference"/> object.</returns>
    /// <exception cref="T:System.InvalidOperationException">The reference to the target object is invalid. This exception can be thrown while setting this property if the value is a null reference or if the object has been finalized during the set operation.</exception>
    public new T Target
    {
        get
        {
            return (T)base.Target;
        }

        set
        {
            base.Target = value;
        }
    }
}

There's not much to say about this class. I've replaced the Target property of the original WeakReference class with a strongly-typed one based on the type parameter, T. The other bits are just constructors to mirror those in the base class and it's job done.

Deserializing from a sequence of bytes

I was working on some file-based persistence today and found myself needing to load a string from an array of bytes that represented that string's characters. There is, of course, more than one way to skin this particular cat, but I took it as an opportunity to play around with extension methods.

The first way I found to do this was to have a method with an iterator block that took each pair of bytes and used the BitConverter.ToChar() method to yield a character.

public static IEnumerable<char> ToChars(this IEnumerable<byte> sequence)
{
    int counter = 0;
    byte[] bytes = new byte[2];

    foreach (var b in sequence)
    {
        bytes[counter++ % 2] = b;
        if (counter % 2 == 0)
        {
            yield return BitConverter.ToChar(bytes, 0);
        }
    }
}

Turning the results of this method into an array and using the appropriate string constructor meant job done. I realise that a little more work is needed to check we have a non-null sequence with an even number of bytes, but this is just illustrative. However, what if I had wanted a sequence of integers or doubles or some other type?

A more elegant solution would be to create a partitioning method that took the sequence of bytes and returned a sequence of smaller sequences.

public static IEnumerable<byte[]> Partition(this IEnumerable<byte> sequence, int partitionSize)
{
    bool any = false;

    int partitionIndex = 0;
    byte[] partition = new byte[partitionSize];
    foreach (var b in sequence)
    {
        any = true;
        partition[partitionIndex++] = b;

        if (partitionIndex >= partitionSize)
        {
            yield return partition;
            partitionIndex = 0;
        }
    }

    // We have a partial partition to yield.
    if (any && (partitionIndex != 0))
    {
        yield return partition;
    }
}

This time, we've got ourselves a sequence of byte arrays. To get the characters we would've got from the previous example, we have to perform a quick Select() call on the sequence.

var sequenceOfChar = sequenceOfBytes
    .Partition(sizeof(char))
    .Select(x => BitConverter.ToChar(x, 0));

Of course, if we wanted a sequence of integers, the call would be a little different.

var sequenceOfInt32 = sequenceOfBytes
    .Partition(sizeof(int))
    .Select(x => BitConverter.ToInt32(x, 0));

There's a little more polish required to cope with null sequences and there's no guarantee that the last array in the partitioned sequence will have enough bytes for a full partition. Finally, in my examples this relies on the data being persisted in the order expected by the BitConverter calls, but you could manage that yourself depending on your own circumstances.

Is this useful to anyone else? Is there a better way to achieve the same goals?

Learning Poetry: Exercise 2

This is the second part in a series of posts documenting my efforts learning more about prosody:

In the last post, I explained how I was learning to be a better poet. I also included my attempts from the first exercise in Stephen Fry's book, The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within. Now it is time for the fruits of the second exercise. I would love to hear your thoughts on my attempts – what works, what does not, where you think I've gone wrong. Perhaps you might get a copy of the book and have a go yourself. If you do, I'd really like to see your results.

The Exercise

Write five pairs of blank iambic pentameter in which the first line of each pair is end-stopped¹ and there are no caesuras², then write five pairs of blank iambic pentameter with the same meaning, but using enjambment³ and at least two caesuras.

The topics for each of the five pairs are:

Precisely what you see outside your window.
Precisely what you'd like to eat, right this minute.
Precisely what you last remember dreaming about.
Precisely what uncompleted chores are niggling at you.
Precisely what you hate about your body.

The Results

End-stopped

The blur of trees is racing out of sight,
As speedily the train ploughs down the line.
A pack of tasty chips from in my bag.
The ones I bought last night inside the store.
A crazed outlandish woman blocked my path,
Demanding love and drinks from all my friends.
I really must repair the door and step,
And take the time to see the naked earth.
My gut has grown from laziness and food,
It hurts to walk upon my foot as well.

Using enjambment and caesuras

The trees, in blurs of green that race beside
the train, demark the path we travel on.
Some chips, perhaps a drink of something, I bought
selections from the store last night. Thank God.
So drunk, the girl accosted me, she asked
if anyone would like a kiss. We ran.
The earth is bare, it waits for seeds, we might
sew grass or herbs. And still the door needs work.
From food, my gut has grown to fill the space
beyond my pants. Yet still my foot, it aches.

A single thought that finished with the line. [↩]
Pauses, which break up the flow. [↩]
Where the meaning runs on from one line to the next. [↩]

Our new desk

Ever since we moved into our house, we've had grand plans for our office (originally, the third bedroom). The plan was to use it as a reading room but that just never panned out. We had painted it when we moved in, then populated it with bookcases from IKEA, which in turn were populated with our books and CDs, but that was about it. Though we had a little tiny desk in there with a computer, all we really did was use the room to store things or hide other things when guests came over.

Given that this space was not really adding value to our lives, this year we decided to make a concerted effort to get the office into a more pleasing state with a view to actually using it as an office. So, we measured things, sketched a plan on the whiteboard in the kitchen and penned a list of tasks, including items to purchase.

Step one was to move some of the bookcases, so I did (though perhaps not at the pace my wife would've preferred). Once the bookcases and their contents were moved to the appropriate location as per our sketch, we were ready for the next step: the new desk. If moving the bookcases had been too slow for the missus then getting a new desk had been going in reverse. However, eventually we decided to head out to IKEA for inspiration and see what we could find.

I admit I wasn't expecting to find anything appropriate but after looking at all the desks and tables we could find in IKEA, we settled on the VIKA AMON black desk. We were originally going to get both the drawers and the storage leg, but the drawers only appear to come in white (I don't get why), so a change of plan was required. After examining all the other legs available in the VIKA range and discovering most options were out of stock and not quite what we wanted, we settled on the wooden legs.

The wooden legs don't quite match our black office furniture

The only problem with the legs was their appearance, but unlike the white drawers, the plain wood made this a reasonably easy fix. The office furniture is black/brown, including the desk top we selected so a quick trip to Home Depot was required to get a matching wood stain. The stain I selected was a Classic Black Minwax Polyshades stain and polyurethane in one with a satin finish. I admit that I mostly guessed at what colour might match the existing IKEA furniture. I also admit that I'm lazy, hence the stain and polyurethane in one.

I forwent the application of conditioner to the wood as I was applying an extremely dark stain to the wood. Over two days, I applied two coats of stain to the legs. In hindsight, three coats may have been better but any thin patches on the legs are not easily noticeable, so they can be our little secret.

After two coats, the legs were barely distinguishable from the desk that they were to support.

With the legs ready, it was time to clear some space in the office. So I dismantled the computer and moved everything out of the way to clear space for the new desk.

Some quick, effortless assembly later and the desk was all ready to install. The three legs attached to the desk as per the instructions provided with each leg. The remaining support was provided by the free-standing storage unit that we selected for housing our computer.

Once the desk was in place, it was clear we'd made a good choice as there was just enough room for the lamp in the corner. It was time to reassemble the computer and put it into place.

Proud of my efforts, I grabbed Chrissy to show her my handiwork. She was, of course, quick to point out that we still need to get lampshades and put our lamps on the new desk. Perhaps then, the office will finally be finished¹.

Just in time for us to turn it into a nursery? No, this is not an announcement. [↩]