The code is only written once. Then we move on to reading, debugging, refactoring, and scaling constantly. The way you develop your code today will serve you well in future maintenance and scaling. When it comes to software development, we're frequently under deadline pressure. It is always a good idea to follow code best practices to help make sure your future self and others who might use your code are protected.
Creating the software solution is challenging but the developer can take steps to minimize any potential errors by implementing the best practices suggested by coding standards. Coding standards provide insights on how to properly write code so that it’s easily read and understood by other developers who might need to make edits or security updates
Apart from making your code easier to read, coding standards also help make sure you haven't forgotten anything. Without good coding in place before building your application or website, there's a high chance that you'll need to go back and rework your product which isn’t great for anyone. Also Get all your doubts clear with the best Online Learning platform.
So to help you out I will discuss the best coding practices every beginner should be aware of
What Is Coding??
Coding is the process by which applications and websites are built. For example, programmers use Javascript to create and modify certain elements within a web page. Or similarly, coders manipulate CSS and HTML to control how the text looks or is displayed on a website.
Computer coding is like building with legos; it’s a combination of blocks, each with a specific function that allows the user to deliver instructions in order to make something impactful. A script is what gets used to deliver these instructions. The script directs the computer to perform your desired actions so you can get something done like print an image, play a video, or sound. You have to ensure your code is correct otherwise the computer will not understand your commands. Every script is intended to perform a specific task, such as resizing an image or playing sound or video.
The mechanics of pretty much anything you visit or can use in your day-to-day life work by a couple of simple commands: ‘When’ and ‘Do’. You hit the ‘Like' button on someone’s social media post and you are actually triggering an action that is based on this code. Now you understand what computer code looks like and why it exists: telling a computer what to do at a specific time using specific elements
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1. Write better comments
As a developer, commenting on your code is probably one of the first lessons you learn. It may seem pointless at first, following the mentality ‘If they're developers too, they'll get it. This is sometimes true, but providing proper documentation and comments on your code will help the other developers better understand the logic and algorithm you implemented. Please don't overdo this! Let well-written code stand as it is.
2. Understand why you are using it
Programming standards are intended to limit the use of problematic areas of a language. Therefore, coding standards prevent undefined or unspecified behavior. This reduces the use of "goto" and other error-prone constructs. Using coding standards also makes the code more readable, maintainable, and portable. The use of "typedef" simplifies complex structures, for instance. Consequently, cyclomatic complexity is reduced.
3. Portability
Rather than parametrizing variables within the application, programmers should configure them for the hosting environment. It could be a server or database. Code should not include literal values that refer to environmental parameters, such as absolute paths to files, file names, usernames, hostnames, and IP addresses. This will prevent the application from running on a host that has a different design.
4. Produce reusable code
Designing your code to be replaceable is just as important as making it reusable. In order to ensure your codebase will not become bloated or unstable over the long term, you need to design it in a way that makes ensuring quality simple. Writing your code to be "replaceable" ensures that no matter what elements of the core product you need to update or improve, all changes can be made efficiently and without impacting existing methods, or introducing new bugs.
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5. Improves the quality
The development of high-quality software creates, maintains, and improves the class of the business that develops such software as well as its brand name. This helps the business stay ahead of competitors by staying on top of best practices and trends in technology. Furthermore, happy clients mean more income for your company - which is always a positive!
6. Fast Development
According to me and all the developers I have worked with, product development can speed up overall when team members across departments begin to work from the same playbook. Once that playbook of best coding practices has been established for every stage of planning and production, a clearer process for tackling issues is already in place and teams can function more smoothly as a result.
7. Performance and complexity optimization
For any project, it is important not to let the constraints of space and time become an obstacle. However, when developing an application that requires time-efficient solutions, coding standards that guarantee optimum performance should be used. These guidelines allow for a developer to directly adhere to goals of limiting the overall solution size and ensuring both efficient and desired results are achieved.
8. Do Not Hard-code
Hard coding constants are fine but do not hard-code anything else. In cases where unattended code, used for debugging, is deployed to production, hard coding may pose a security risk.
9. Use descriptive and meaningful names
It is imperative that variables, functions, and classes should have descriptive names. When we had fewer tools available for minifying code, variable names had to be short and precise for performance, whereas now we can name our functions as long as we want. In addition to making the code readable, descriptive and meaningful names often reduce the need for unnecessary comments.
10. Maintain Consistent Code Structure
Maintain a consistent coding style throughout the project. The coding style shouldn't be changed. It is important that developers are familiar with the coding practices used at the company or by the team, and stick to them while working on a particular project. That way, the code will be easy to understand and maintain.
11. Write Reader-friendly code
The most critical practice is to make your code readable. Because of too many shortcuts and nestings, we understand what is happening in code based on experience, but another developer might not. Implement shortcuts if they help improve performance. If not, write simple code that is readable.
Conclusion
A developer's success depends on writing good code. Following these coding best practices will make your code more maintainable, scalable, and debuggable. Your ability to apply these practices across languages and projects will improve the more you code. If you want to write good code do check out our website