Lets start by answering the common question such as why do we have coding standards
Why ?
Code conventions improve the readability of the software, allowing engineers to understand new code more quickly and thoroughly.
Adhering to coding standards promotes the use of best practices and industry standards, leading to higher-quality code.
When multiple developers work on the same project, adhering to coding standards ensures a consistent style and approach throughout the codebase.
During code review, reviewers can use to evaluate the code's quality, identify potential issues, and suggest improvements.
For new team members, coding standards serve as a valuable reference for understanding the project's codebase and aligning with the existing development practices.
These are major points that can justify why do we need coding standards on the first place.
As we know why it is important, Lets state what expectation to be set in order to achieve above.
Goals
- Readability and Maintainability
- Code Quality and Reliability
- Consistency and Collaboration
- Scalability and Future-proofing
- Code Reviews and Onboarding
Now we have set ourself what we need to achieve, Let's see how can this be achieved. I will point out few general best practices here when its about programming.
Best Practices
Consistent Formatting, like indentation, line length, spacing, and alignment of code elements.
Meaningful Naming Conventions, names that accurately convey their purpose and avoid cryptic abbreviations or single-letter variable names.
Commenting and Documentation, concise comments to explain the code's functionality and especially for complex algorithms to provide comprehensive documentation for future developers and maintainers.
Code Reusability and DRY Principle, strive for code reusability by avoiding duplications. Follow the Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY) principle.
File and folder organization, well-structured organization enhances code readability and maintainability, allowing for efficient navigation and collaboration within the codebase.
Avoiding magic numbers, using named constants instead of arbitrary values improves code clarity, maintainability, and prevents potential errors.
Remember, coding standards may vary depending on the programming language, development environment, or team preferences. It's important to establish and document coding standards specific to your project and communicate them effectively within the development team.
Conclusion
In this article, you learned best coding standards that are used in the industry to use in your project.
Additional Info
You can deep dive into guidelines, paradigms, principles and laws. To help get started with, one of the resource that I had come across. Click here
Top comments (1)
Everybody should follow this.