As an application developer, you know how important it is to write code that is clear, consistent, and easy to modify. But how do you achieve that in a fast-paced and complex environment? Here are some best practices that can help you maintain readable and maintainable code.
A style guide is a set of rules and conventions that define how your code should look and behave. It covers aspects such as indentation, naming, spacing, comments, and formatting. Using a style guide can help you avoid common errors, improve readability, and ensure consistency across your codebase. You can either follow an existing style guide for your programming language or create your own based on your preferences and needs.
There are several principles for readable and maintainable code - the SOLID principle is but one. Essentially each class should have a clear and singular purpose. Good method and variable naming will help with readable/maintainable code. Each class/method should be documented or otherwise its purpose should be obvious from the name. A style guide that is supported by your IDE will help with consistent layout. Consistency is King and the broken window principle applies - developers need to diligently apply the style to achieve consistency. Code reviews help if done properly and regularly. Thorough unit tests are mandatory as is a build system that automatically runs them. A README file can also help guide new developers.
Use a style guide, but never leave it to your developer to do this. Not only does it add to their unnecessary worries, it also brings in a ton of subjectivity. Use a commit hook or a build process to do it for one and all. Uniformity here matters more than anything else! Automate everything that does not need an opinion!
In addition to having a style guide, maintaining a functionality relation map of the code is crucial. It's akin to deploying a GPS system for your codebase, ensuring smoother updates and maintaining synchronization across the board. This dual strategy enhances code organization and elevates overall development efficiency.
Code reviews are important for maintaining consistency and for sharing methods and approaches with other team members. However, one thing I run into often is a lack of comments in code that explain why it was written a certain way and what issues were encountered when creating the code.
-Use consistent indentation, naming conventions, and formatting rules. -Add comments to explain complex logic. -Use logging to track errors, debug information, and the flow of execution.
Naming is one of the most challenging and crucial aspects of coding. The names you choose for your variables, functions, classes, and files should reflect their purpose and functionality. They should also be concise, descriptive, and consistent. Avoid using ambiguous, generic, or misleading names that can confuse yourself and other developers. Instead, use names that make your code self-explanatory and easy to understand.
To give an example, naming an API : GET "/GetAllEmployees" looks both ugly and verbose. renaming it to GET "/employees" makes it clear than the API is used to search/get multiple employees. Similarly, using concise and non-verbose names can great improve code readability, avoid confusions and reduce verbosity. e.g. If you have a method on employee object to map personal details to it. Naming it "MapPersonalDetails" is better than "MapPersonalDetailsToEmployee". Because, when you use it you are going to use it like "employee.MapPersonalDetails()" which can easily tell than you are mapping Personal Details for an employee.
Where possible, maintain a minimal, but common consistent taxonomy. A taxonomy has a natural structure and a repeatable format.
It is especially important to avoid long names so as to reduce cognitive load. (Note that some older compilers actually ignore part of names longer that a given limit). If the language and style guide allow using capitalisation or underscores can help make names more meaningful.
It is important to name variables/methods etc meaningfully. Naming a variable as “t” or “I” to iterate or assign something is hardly helpful. Remember, others will read the code at some point trying to debug a critical issue but instead will be left scratching their heads and spend an inordinate amount of time to understand what could have been a 5 minute activity. You don’t want someone abusing the writer but instead appreciating the thoughtfulness of a well written code
I fully agree: Imagine you want to manage a list of articles within your code, name it simply articles and then follow the logic of manipulating it through your code instead of naming it list or variable1 and then read half of the code to understand what that variable is used for. Using meaningful names will bring the readability of your code to another level and it literally requires no effort!
Comments are annotations that explain what your code does, why it does it, and how it does it. They can help you and other developers understand the logic, intention, and context of your code. Comments can also help you document your code and track your progress. However, comments should not be used to compensate for bad code or to state the obvious. Instead, they should provide useful and relevant information that complements your code.
Code comments help to - refer your own code for improvements/enhancements - get another developer a quick knowledge transfer for maintaining/troubleshooting - help understanding the objective of why the piece of code written But one needs to use it wisely and in a balanced manner.
Comments always help someone understand what is written, otherwise at a later time the reader is left scratching their heads. It should be short and meaningful enough but not long stories.
Good comments, especially written using self-documenting notations, are often overlooked yet so powerful technique and the mark of professional developer, who respects fellows developers. Make sure you not overdo it, though! Comment only what needs to be commented, and not so obvious. Avoid generic comments, like "starting loop", "exiting while" etc...
In my experience, implementing well-structured documentation and comments within the code is one of the best thing you can do for yourself and your organization. It's not just about writing code that works, but about writing code that the next person can understand and build upon. If you're doing something tricky or unique be sure to explain that in a very simple and practical way. Commenting your code today will save you from hours of headache tomorrow!
In my experience commenting code is like leaving meaningful notes to explain what the code does. It helps developers understand complex parts, makes it easier to work together, guides new team members, and prevents mistakes during updates. Good comments are like a helpful guide for anyone reading the code. Also helps organizations meets the need of strict regulatory requirements.
Refactoring is the process of improving your code without changing its functionality. It involves removing unnecessary, redundant, or outdated code, simplifying complex or confusing code, and applying best practices and design patterns. Refactoring can help you enhance your code quality, performance, and maintainability. It can also help you prevent bugs, errors, and technical debt. You should refactor your code regularly and incrementally, using tools and tests to support you.
Thank you. Very simple points, each of them is important. It is like in everyday life: sleep well, good and moderate food, some sport, and pay attention to other people. For programming, I enjoy the following: -- I use an interpreted language (APL) (no data types) -- Write code line after line -- Test / correct each line once written -- Do it with actual data (in size and complexity) -- Do not care about performance first, prefer elégance -- Only when performance problems (time or memory) arise -remember: with actual data-, locate the problem and fix it. The fact that variables have no statical type obliges you to feel responsible of the code you write, without subcontracting to a compiler. Remember: I write and test line after line.
I think that refactoring a legacy code is good idea when you add necessary tests if they are not present before. If you add no tests and don't consider the logic behind the tests your refactor maybe converted to a fail! You should not only focus to resolving a bug, you should try to maximize the quality of the code and also considering new and modern coding and engineering practices
Refactoring is the right option to deliver better value with existing code. Factors that leads to Refactor of the code are, Adding more code to rotten/inefficient/sub- optimal code is not wise Throwing away code is not economical as it has been recently developed Big-Bang rewrite is time consuming and a long term solution Application has outgrown the architecture Maintenance of the application is too burdensome Adding new features takes too long due to lack of knowledge & change impact Living with the problem impacts business Refactoring need to be done at various layers and levels to improve the application design and performance Functional Refactoring Code Refactoring Database Refactoring Architecture Refactoring
Code refactoring is required to increase code life , extentions,reuse, decoupling and have many benefits for longer running life. I agree to have good knowledge for developer . We can use of code tools like ReSharper, github copilot like tools.
You can also use bug fixing as a time to refactor: 1. Write a test(s) that checks the correct behaviour including showing up the bug 2. Refactor & re-test.
DRY stands for Don't Repeat Yourself. It is a principle that states that you should avoid duplicating code or logic in your application. Repeating code can lead to inconsistency, inefficiency, and errors. It can also make your code harder to read, modify, and test. Instead, you should reuse and modularize your code as much as possible. You can use functions, classes, libraries, and frameworks to achieve this.
Sometimes. As other comments had implied, it can be ok to copy code. Particularly if that code is nuanced in some way that makes the developer build generic capability of top of generic capability then pass in parameters to configure that generic functionality. It all becomes heavy, cumbersome and difficult to maintain. DRY is a good principle, but its a guide, not a gospel.
In my experience, it is important to use the right tools. Functions, classes, and libraries are all tools that can help you achieve the DRY principle in your code. Functions are reusable blocks of code that perform a specific task. By writing a function, you can avoid repeating the same code in multiple places and make your code more modular and readable. Classes are a way to group related data and functions together. By creating a class, you can avoid repeating the same code for each instance of an object and make your code more organized and maintainable.?Libraries are collections of pre-written code that you can use in your own projects, and you can avoid writing code from scratch and make your code more efficient and maintainable.
If a segment of code is to be repeated... make it a callable function. When repeated, and a future change is needed, the programmer would have to search throughout the code to see where else the change should be applied. This introduces error that can be had to find.
If you copy and paste a section of code once that may be OK. Twice and you should really think about refactoring & abstracting. A third time and you know that you should have already refactored. If the programming language being used allows consider inheritance &/or templates.
One of best ways to comply with DRY principle is using modular architecture. Try to divide your application logics in meaningful modules. You can reuse that modules in different steps of the development and maintenance phases. If you think that a particular module is very reusable it's maybe better to convert it to a package and host in your private antifactory for better reusability in different projects.
Code review is the practice of examining your code or someone else's code to check for errors, bugs, or improvements. It can help you identify and fix issues, learn from other developers, and ensure that your code meets the standards and requirements of your project. You can use tools and platforms to facilitate code review, such as code editors, linters, debuggers, and version control systems. You can also use peer review, pair programming, or code review groups to get feedback and suggestions.
Whilst desirable the reality is the quality of code reviews is inconsistent and seen as a potentially big consumer of times. Tools are a must have to remove the basics, AI copilots can genuinely remove a majority of common issues too. Retaining code reviews for knowledge sharing is still worthwhile in a team setting, around high complexity areas, and for coaching/mentoring junior or new team members into a project. They should never become a blocker or delay to releasing working changes.
Code review serves as a collaborative learning opportunity, increasing knowledge exchange among team members. Beyond error detection, it promotes a shared understanding of the codebase, encouraging best practices and improve overall code quality. In addition to peer review, Integrating LLMs into code review tools can enhance efficiency by automating repetitive tasks, allowing developers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of their work. However, it's crucial to balance the use of LLMs with human judgment, as they may not fully grasp project-specific nuances or business requirements. Combining the analytical capabilities of LLMs with human expertise creates a powerful synergy, driving code quality and collaboration to new heights
Try to promote code review culture in your team. And maybe it's better to consider it as a rule! Joint code reviews can lead to increasing the quality of your code and also enhance team work performance. If your application logic is complex, code reviews and pair programming help to achieve better solutions.
The shorter the feedback loop on your efforts, the better. My best results have always been some version of pair programming, where the feedback loop is continuous and immediate rather than waiting for some time in the future. Working closely with someone else helps you broaden your perspective and select for better results without getting too invested in a single approach too early on. If the work, or the preferred ways of working of the developers, doesn't really support active pairing, at the very least try to check in early with others and try to keep change scope as limited as possible.
Regular code reviews are fundamental for maintaining readable and maintenance code. Reviews serve also to promote collective ownership and knowledge sharing within the team. Often, you can find the reviews moments very effective and i strongly encourage you to positively introduce it in your software development practice. It can be a game-changer
More often than not, I see folks just dive into writing code and then the code just grows organically. Writing code is like cooking your favorite dish. You should first be able to visualize it, you should be able to put a recipe together and then follow the recipe to the T. I always tell myself and my team, draw what you are going to code first. If you can visualize you can code. Code is just a mere syntax and it really is that simple for most cases where it concerns building LOB applications!
As an application architect, I advocate for robust coding principles and endorse a collaborative team-driven approach in formulating and refining our collective code standards. A comprehensive code guide, subject to continuous review and enhancement, acts as a foundational blueprint for fostering readable and maintainable code. This guide not only influences our coding practices and directs review processes but also empowers the team to consistently deliver adaptable solutions in sync with evolving industry standards. Furthermore, the guide should undergo constant evaluation during project retrospective meetings, ensuring it continuously evolves to best suit both the solution and the team's needs.
Treating code like a book means adopting a narrative structure, where each line tells a story of functionality and purpose. By prioritizing clear and human-readable syntax, the code becomes accessible to a broader audience, transcending traditional developer boundaries. This approach not only fosters collaboration but also ensures that even non-developers can glean insights into the logic and intentions behind the code.
In my experience, separating business logic from technical/infrastructure dependencies plays a crucial role in maintaining the code. Remember we are making code readable because we want to maintain it long time.
I find adopting the 'Convention over configuration' paradigm helpful during the early project development. Everything is new a lot of decisions have to be made, as the amount of decisions grows the amount of errors does as well, especially in a fast-paced environment. The paradigm helps reduce the number of decisions that each developer has to make, which leaves more time to think over the more important ones, like architecture, project structure, the features themselves, etc. As a side effect, it does violate some other design principles but the result would be to refactor code because something can be done better, not because no one can understand or extend it.