Naming is straightforward! A information for builders

Sheer laziness

Whereas naming issues isn’t arduous, it does take a little bit of thought. I assume some people simply don’t wish to take the time to consider naming issues. I’m not even going to speak about how foolish it’s to make use of a single letter for a variable identify. The one exception I’ll quarter is utilizing i because the variable in a loop. (However I’ll argue vehemently that Index is best.)

In any other case, give a variable a extremely good, full identify. Certain, it might take some effort, however for those who cease and ask, “What, precisely, is that this factor?” after which identify it based mostly on what your reply is, you’ll have a fantastic identify. As an illustration, for those who really feel the necessity to do that:


If (EmployeeNumber > 0) and (OrderNumber >  0) {
 // ...
}

Don’t be afraid to go the additional mile:


EmployeeIsValid = EmployeeUniqueIDInDatabase > 0;
ThereIsAnOrder = OrderNumber > 0;
ItIsOkayToProcessTheOrder := EmployeeIsValid and ThereIsAnOrder;
If ItIsOkayToProcessTheOrder {
  // ...
}

That’s massively extra readable, and the variable names clearly clarify what they signify. It could be very arduous to confuse what is occurring there, and it reduces the cognitive load of the following developer, who not has to parse advanced boolean statements. 

Related Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Latest Articles