In most communities, principles are established to govern the behavior of its members and provide guidelines on what is acceptable and what should be avoided. Similarly, in the world of programming, coding rules, and practices are set to guide developers in following the best coding practices.
Good coding practices consist of a set of guidelines and principles aimed at ensuring the code's quality, readability, maintainability, and efficiency. By adhering to these practices, developers can improve collaboration, reduce the occurrence of bugs, and make their code easier to comprehend and maintain over time.
Here in this article, we will help you to know the best coding practices that are required from developers(like you)
1. Write a reusable code
In programming, some code doesn't mean to be repeated. A line of code can be
reused over and over again as long as it serves the purpose of the use. For
example, a code for storing customers' profiles image in an application can
still be used to upload photos. Take a view below to see how I write
code once and use it in many places within my PHP(Laravel) application
Here, I created a class called mediaFileHelpers and created an image
upload function called saveFromRequest.
Notice how I am going to call and use the function in another class called,
PostController and ProfileController
Take a look at lines 15 & 16 inside the code above.
Take a look at line 15 inside the code above.
The benefit of reusing code
Here are eight benefits of code reuse :
1. Time savings
2. Cost savings
3. Increased efficiency
4. Consistency and standardization
5. Bug reduction
6. Improved maintainability
7. Rapid prototyping and iteration
8. Leveraging specialized expertise
It is recommended practice that developers write reusable code. Because, code
reuse promotes productivity, quality, and collaboration in software
development, enabling developers to focus on solving new and unique problems
rather than reinventing solutions already available.
2. Use Descriptive and Meaningful Names
Descriptive names play a vital role in enhancing code comprehension,
benefiting both you and other developers who work on the codebase. Instead
of using generic names or single letters, aim to give meaningful and
descriptive names to variables, functions, and methods within your
application.
Descriptive names provide valuable context and clarity about the purpose and
functionality of code elements. When you revisit your code or when other
developers read it, they can quickly understand the intent behind each
variable or method. This self-explanatory nature of well-named code promotes
maintainability, reduces confusion, and improves overall code quality.
For example, instead of using a variable name like "x" or "temp," consider
using names that accurately reflect the data it holds or its purpose in the
code. If the variable stores a user's age, you might use "userAge" or
"ageInYears" to provide clear and descriptive information.
Best Usage
user_name = 'Peter' (best for storing a user name variable in Python or PHP)
userName = 'Peter' (best for storing a user name variable in JavaScrip or
PHP)
Similarly, when defining methods or functions, use names that accurately
represent the action they perform or the result they produce. This enables
other developers to understand the purpose of the function without diving
into its implementation details.
By adhering to the practice of using descriptive names, you contribute to
the readability and maintainability of your codebase. It fosters effective
collaboration, reduces debugging time, and enhances the overall development
experience for yourself and your team members.
3. Follow the OOP (Object-Oriented Programming) pattern.
OOP is a widely recommended way of writing code, and it's a popular approach
used in the software development industry. It helps programmers organize
their code and is widely adopted by developers.
Object-oriented programming often abbreviated as OOP is a programming
paradigm that organizes code around objects, which are instances of classes.
It provides a way to structure code by grouping related data and behavior
together. OOP aims to improve code reusability, maintainability, and
modularity.
OOP helps us write code that is reusable. It also makes our code easier
to understand and maintain because related information and actions are
organized together in a logical way. OOP promotes breaking down complex
problems into smaller, more manageable pieces, making it easier to work on
different parts of a project as a team
Depending on the language you are working with, there are many programming
languages that encourage object-oriented programming (OOP). OOP is widely
used in various programming languages. Some popular pure OOP languages
include Ruby, Scala, JADE, and Emerald. These languages are specifically
designed to support and emphasize OOP principles.
In addition to pure OOP languages, there are programming languages that
are primarily designed for OOP, such as Java, Python, and C++. These
languages have extensive support for OOP concepts and provide robust tools
and libraries for developing object-oriented applications.
Furthermore, there are other programming languages that can work well with
OOP, including Visual Basic .NET, PHP, and JavaScript. Although these
languages may not be strictly based on OOP principles, they offer features
and syntax that enable developers to implement and benefit from OOP
concepts in their code.
When selecting a programming language for your project, it's important to
consider the specific requirements, community support, available
resources, and familiarity with the language. You can explore online
resources and documentation to research the recommended languages for the
particular programming language you are working with.
Here is a list of the key benefits of OOP:
- Modularity and code organization
- Code reusability
- Encapsulation and data hiding
- Abstraction and modeling
- Polymorphism and flexibility
- Collaboration and team development
4. Adhere to the principle of Single Responsibility
The principle of Single Responsibility is a key concept in
object-oriented programming (OOP) that promotes designing classes with a
single, well-defined responsibility or purpose. According to this principle,
a class should have only one reason to change.
It means that each class should be focused on providing a specific
functionality or representing a specific entity within the system.
The Single Responsibility principle also improves the code's testability.
With a clear separation of responsibilities, it becomes easier to write
focused unit tests for each class, ensuring that the behavior and
functionality are correctly implemented.
For example, consider a scenario where you have a "User" class that handles
user authentication and also manages user profile information. Following the
Single Responsibility principle, it would be better to split this into two
separate classes: one for authentication and another for managing user
profile information. This separation ensures that each class has a single
responsibility and reduces the coupling between different functionalities.
5. Make use of Services
When you're building a website or web application using the MVC
architecture, it's often recommended to put your code logic inside
services. Think of services as helpful assistants that handle specific
tasks or operations in your application.
Services are like specialized workers that know how to perform certain
jobs related to your website's functionality. For example, if you need to
interact with a database to retrieve or save data, a service can take care
of that for you. It's like having someone who knows how to communicate
with the database and get the information you need.
By using services, you can keep your code organized and easier to manage.
The idea is to separate the business logic, which is the logic that
defines how your application should work, from the controller. The
controller is responsible for handling user requests and responses.
Services act as a bridge between the controller and the database. They
handle tasks like retrieving data from the database, performing
calculations, or processing information. This separation allows for better
reusability, which means you can use the same service in different parts
of your application without having to rewrite the code.
Another benefit is that services make it easier to maintain your code in
the long run. If you ever need to change the database system or any other
part of your application, you can make the necessary modifications in the
service without affecting the controller or other parts of your code.
Check some ways to use services in some programming languages.
PHP(Laravel)
6. DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself)
Reusability is a key aspect of efficient coding. When writing code, it is beneficial to avoid duplicating logic whenever possible. Instead, you can extract reusable sections of code into separate functions, classes, or modules. This approach is known as the "Don't Repeat Yourself" (DRY) principle.
By adhering to the DRY principle, you can achieve several advantages. First, it promotes code reusability, allowing you to leverage existing solutions for similar problems in different parts of your codebase. This saves time and effort by eliminating the need to write the same code multiple times.
Additionally, maintaining reusable code becomes more manageable. When a bug or an enhancement is required, you only need to modify the code in one place rather than make changes across multiple duplicate sections. This improves maintainability and reduces the likelihood of introducing inconsistencies or errors.
Furthermore, reusable code enhances code readability. By extracting common logic into separate functions, classes, or modules, you make the overall codebase more concise and easier to understand. When developers encounter a specific functionality, they can refer to the reusable code rather than deciphering duplicated code throughout the project.
In summary, reusing code through the extraction of reusable logic into functions, classes, or modules is highly recommended. It promotes code reusability, reduces maintenance efforts, and improves the overall readability of your code. By following the DRY principle, you can create more efficient and maintainable codebases.
7. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
Simplicity is an important principle in coding. It means writing code that is easy to understand, read, and maintain. When you keep your code simple, you make it easier for other developers (and yourself) to comprehend and work with it in the future.
To achieve simplicity, it's important to follow a few key guidelines. First, try to keep your code as straightforward as possible. Instead of adding unnecessary complexity, focus on solving the problem at hand using clear and concise solutions. Break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable parts that are easier to grasp.
Another aspect of simplicity is using clear and meaningful names for your variables, functions, and classes. This makes it easier for others to understand the purpose and functionality of different parts of your code. Additionally, consider adding comments to explain any complex or non-obvious parts of your code. Comments provide additional context and help others understand your thought process.
By striving for simplicity, you create code that is easier to maintain and debug. When code is simple and easy to understand, it's less prone to bugs and easier to fix if issues arise. It also promotes collaboration among developers since they can quickly grasp and work with the codebase.
Learn more about Kiss principles here
8. Error Handling
Proper error handling and exception management are crucial aspects of software development. When you implement effective error handling in your code, you can identify, catch, and resolve errors gracefully.
Error handling involves anticipating potential errors that may occur during the execution of your program and designing a system to handle them. By doing so, you ensure that unexpected issues or exceptional conditions are dealt with in a controlled manner, rather than causing application crashes or undesirable behavior.
When errors are handled correctly, several benefits arise. First, it improves the debugging process. When an error occurs, proper error handling provides information about the cause and context of the error, making it easier to identify and fix the issue. This helps developers troubleshoot problems more efficiently and ensure the smooth operation of the software.
9. Code Documentation
Write clear and concise comments and documentation to explain your code's purpose, functionality, and any important details. Good documentation makes it easier for other developers (including your future self) to understand and maintain the codebase.
Conclusion:
This blog post discusses the importance of following coding principles and best practices. It emphasizes the need for reusable code, descriptive and meaningful names, object-oriented programming (OOP), the principle of single responsibility, the use of services, adhering to the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle, keeping code simple (KISS principle), proper error handling, and code documentation.
By adhering to these principles, developers can improve code quality, readability, maintainability, and efficiency. These practices help in reducing bugs, promoting collaboration, enhancing code comprehension, and preventing application crashes.