Top 10 programming things developers need to take into consider
Learning programming is fun and easy, but writing a good program can prove to be a daunting task. In most cases, we find ourselves constantly scratching our heads trying to understand the spaghetti code we wrote, or making lots of changes just because of a newly added minor feature.
These outcomes can bring down our confidence but in fact, they can be solved with proper development practices. Here are 10 worthy habits to invest in to write cleaner and smarter code with less effort. Let’s start developing these habits now!
1. Write Human-Friendly Code
Always remember that you are not just writing code for machines, but for your future self too. So it is important to write readable code. In truth, programming is like writing a good poem. The tone should be consistent, the words descriptive and sentences well structured. If you are working collaboratively, discuss naming conventions before anyone touches the code. Indentation and line breaks are also important for clean coding. For line breaks, use it when 2 codes on the same line execute different things.
2. Think Organization
Code structure and organization also helps with readibility issues. It is important to group your code to enable easy modification. Also, don’t throw all the code into a single script. While it may seem convenient to have 8000+ lines of code in a single file, debugging is a nightmare when trying to recall method names. Always think about the ease of change. The best practice is to separate code into different files according to their primary functions, for example manager, interface, animation, extension, etc.
3. Planning Before Coding
It’s crucial to know exactly what to do before you hit the first key. In the programming world, it is important to plan ahead. Begining to code without a clear procedure in mind will often lead to retries, burnouts and a depression loop. Instead of problem solving and programming the parallel way, it’s far easier to figure out the procedure first, then write a solution.
4. Write Manageable Code
There are even more dynamic ways to add, arrange and retrieve data in certain languages, such as List and LINQ for C#, so be sure to periodically check out better features, libraries or plugins for smarter data management.
To avoid constantly modifying stuff in code, write highly independent code that will not break the entire system when new features or changes are applied. It’s called Loose Coupling. After optimization, the developer only needs to tweak code in 1 class instead of 3 classes for new features.
5. Stop Overdoing Features
As our skills mature, we tend to develop more complex solutions that cater to a wider range of needs. It’s a good sign of growth but be wary as you might be stepping into another trap – overdoing a feature that’s entirely unnecessary to the project. In development, it’s important to regularly remind yourself of the project’s main objective, and only add features that fulfill the purpose. If you know the exact collection size, use Array. If List’s function can retrieve the data the way you want, don’t use advanced LINQ.
Why develop a plugin when you hardly use that feature? Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Don’t waste your time. Rremember the most time consuming part aka finishing the project, is yet to come.
6. Learn To Debug Smarter
Where there is code, there are bugs. It’s impossible to have a bug-free code solution, so debugging skills are highly sought after. The ancient trial-and-error method may work, but it is slow. For example, Firebug for JavaScript, it comes with error detection, breakpoint setting, expression tracking, performance checking, all for your debugging convenience.
7. Find A Stronger Editor
The right editors can help you grow in knowledge, and expedite project completion. Regardless of how experienced you are, it’s strongly recommended for you to go for editors with code completion, such as Sublime Text and Aptana Studio 3.
Not only is the feature very helpful for beginners to recognize and learn the syntax, but it can be utilized by professionals to check for possibly better codes or solutions. Do take note, most IDEs only support code completion for certain languages, so look for the right one.
8. Do Version Control
There will be times when you make a huge programming mistake and want to go back to an earlier version of a code. Now what if your mistake involves several files in the codebase, and some of them were modified days, or even months ago? Revert to the original and update the code bit by bit while solving bugs? This is counterproductive and why a version control system is greatly essential.
Among several version control softwares, Git is the most popular with a large number of documentations available online. With Git, you can keep as many revisions as you want, branch out the file for some code experiment, track down the part of code you changed last time, and revert back to them whenever you want.
9. No Extra Prototypes, Finish Current Project
Tedious coding and debugging can drain someone physically and emotionally. And some of us are inclined to prototype our work even before it is finished. While prototyping is a beneficial behavior in the long run, it doesn’t help when you do it to escape from work.
A better way to lose some steam is to enjoy something totally unrelated to the work, exercising, gaming, reading. You have to keep your work life in balance. Anything but prototypes.
10. Always Learn Something New
In this field, you can get phased out fairly quickly. Many developmental approaches and programming languages even are declared obsolete within the past 10 years alone. Even if you graduate from a top university with a degree in the subject does not ensure that you are still primed for employment.
The only way to survive and thrive is to keep learning.The best way to learn? Don’t just read, program. Challenge yourself with practical projects that require higher scalability. This forces you to think more efficiently. Explore, and enjoy the creation process. Practice is not something you can ignore in programming. The more you program, the better a programmer you become.