Tagged Questions
1
vote
3answers
279 views
Code Base with awful code conventions, follow them?
With no time to refactor, when you are working on legacy code, with the most awful conventions, what is the best practice?
Will trying to follow better coding style would improve readability or ...
3
votes
3answers
485 views
When are chained assignments (i.e. a=b=c) bad form?
I'm working on a VB.Net WinForms project and found myself writing code like this:
this.Fizz.Enabled = this.Buzz.Enabled = someCondition;
I couldn't decide whether that was bad code or not. Are ...
7
votes
3answers
200 views
Dynamic typing function arguments - how to keep readability high?
Dynamic typing newbie here, hoping for some wizened words of wisdom.
I'm curious if there is a set of best practices out there for dealing with function arguments (and let's be honest, variables in ...
2
votes
2answers
153 views
Are there standard style guides for PHP?
I've been working in a very small team for PHP development and we've been using an ad-hoc, "Invented Here" style guide. Now that our team and codebase is growing, we would like to use a more ...
2
votes
3answers
445 views
Microsoft's coding standards for ASP.NET controls
I cannot find any naming standards/conventions in MSDN for naming ASP.NET controls.
One of the following standards tends to be used by programmers:
lblAddress
AddressLabel
Address
According to ...
1
vote
4answers
374 views
Is using `continue`, `break` in non-`switch` loops and `?:` bad practice? [duplicate]
Back in college I've been told that using break; and continue; outside switch statements (e.g. to escape for or while loops) is wrong, bad practice and bad habits at the same time because it only ...
-4
votes
1answer
85 views
Check Javascript coding practice and overall performance [closed]
I have a Edit/Details form which has 4 user related fields. On click of Save, I save the edited fields to local storage (if supported) and display the same values in the Details view.
Below is the ...
7
votes
7answers
974 views
Prevent developers from using constants
I have one one software system which allows developers to specify an ID or name to create NodeReferences. Both work fine, but ID's are not guaranteed to be the same across different environments. I've ...
-1
votes
1answer
188 views
What is the C++ convention, if any, for naming to differentiate between structure types and other types? [closed]
In general, should I use some sort of convention for structure names which is distinct from other type name? I was thinking about this when my professor started talking about structures.
I had the ...
1
vote
2answers
324 views
coding style for If condition [duplicate]
I came across below style of writing if statements in C#, on msdn code examples. Usually when I write if statements, the conditions I would write `(Customer != null)
I want to know if there is any ...
10
votes
4answers
435 views
Always pull out common cases and branch separately? [duplicate]
We had a disagreement in a code review.
What I had written:
if(unimportantThing().isGood && previouslyCalculatedIndex != -1)
{
//Stuff
}
if(otherThing().isBad && ...
59
votes
19answers
10k views
How important is it to reduce the number of lines in code?
I am a Software developer who works on J2SE (core java).
Often during our code reviews we are asked to reduce the number of lines in our code.
It's not about removing redundant code, it's about ...
17
votes
15answers
2k views
I hate one of our coding standards and it drives me insane, how to process it? [closed]
Disclaimer: Not as exaggerated as the title suggests, but it still makes me uncomfortable. I'm just going to express honestly, so take it with a grain of salt. Just pretend that I'm talking about that ...
0
votes
1answer
168 views
Preventing override of methods in Objective-C [closed]
Objective-C lacks private methods or java-esque final methods. This means that it is possible for a subclass to (accidentally) override some of the internals of a superclass.
How does one prevent ...
4
votes
5answers
436 views
How can I avoid mistakes using the same variable name again?
This isn't a rare case and occurs with me often and I spent countless time trying to debug the code.
Latest example, this PHP code where I used $email for the parameter and for object as well.
...
20
votes
8answers
1k views
Should comments say WHY the program is doing what it is doing? (opinion on a dictum by the inventor of Forth)
The often provocative Chuck Moore (inventor of the Forth language) gave the following advice (paraphrasing):
"Use comments sparingly. Programs are self-documenting, with a
modicum of help from ...
9
votes
1answer
271 views
Are there well-known PowerShell coding conventions?
Are there any well-defined conventions when programming in PowerShell?
For example, in scripts which are to be maintained long-term, do we need to:
Use the real cmdlet name or alias?
Specify the ...
3
votes
3answers
261 views
using “IS” is better or checking for “NOT NULL”
In C#.NET language: This style of coding is recommended or the one below it?
if (sheet.Models.Data is GroupDataModel)
{
GroupDataModel gdm = ...
2
votes
4answers
219 views
Long lines of text in source code [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is the 80 character limit still relevant in times of widescreen monitors?
I used to set a vertical line set at 80 characters in my text editor and then I added carriage ...
4
votes
2answers
228 views
What should my “large codebase sample” look like?
If an employer asks for a large code sample, one for an entire project, what characteristics should the project have to show architectural skills and the ability to manage a large codebase?
For ...
7
votes
7answers
950 views
Why would an employer ask for a 'long' code sample?
What would a large project that spanned multiple files and >1000 lines show to an employer that a few individual files and a couple hundred lines couldn't capture?
10
votes
5answers
377 views
Should coding standards be enforced by the continuous integration server?
Should coding standards/style be enforced by the continuous integration server running static analysis tools (ex. PMD, StyleCop/FxCop) and failing the build if the standards are not followed? What ...
6
votes
3answers
221 views
How should I get my code ready for OpenSourcing it and putting it on GitHub?
In a few weeks, my project is going to be finished and I want to start getting my code ready for other people to use it.
I am going to be posting everything to GitHub so people can tweak it and ...
5
votes
6answers
789 views
Indentation: is there any evidence to show whether 2 or 4 spaces is more readable? [closed]
At the company I work for, we're trying to standardize our development practices, and we want to make the right call regarding indentation.
Is there any empirical evidence (preferably research ...
5
votes
2answers
443 views
Should you create a class within a method?
I have made a program using Java that is an implementation of this project: http://nifty.stanford.edu/2009/stone-random-art/sml/index.html. Essentially, you create a mathematical expression and, ...
2
votes
6answers
2k views
Single quotes vs double quotes [closed]
I just started a job where I'm writing Python after coming from a Java background, and I'm noticing that other developers tend to quote strings using single quotes ('') instead of double quotes (""). ...
2
votes
4answers
273 views
Create new variable or make multiple chained calls?
What is the best way to get this attributes, thinking in performance and code quality?
Using chained calls:
name = this.product.getStock().getItems().get(index).getName();
id = ...
46
votes
15answers
3k views
Working on someone else's code
I have hardly a year's experience in coding. After I started working, most of the time I would be working on someone else's code. Either adding new features over the existing ones or modifying the ...
58
votes
17answers
3k views
Recommendations for teaching junior programmers good coding style
I am a big fan of good coding style, producing clean, clear code that runs well and is easy to use and integrate into larger systems. I believe that we programmers are essentially craftspeople who ...
16
votes
7answers
3k views
Practical considerations for HTML / CSS naming conventions (syntax) [closed]
Question: what are the practical considerations for the syntax in class and id values?
Note that I'm not asking about the semantics, i.e. the actual words that are being used, as for example ...
12
votes
3answers
478 views
Bugs that can be avoided with coding standards
I am looking for statistics (or estimations) that backup the claim that coding standards help reduce bugs. Hard-numbers would be nice, although I haven't had much look finding any. I've even looked ...
3
votes
1answer
397 views
Has anyone thoroughly compared C# common coding standards?
Most of the C# programmers I know embrace one of the common coding standards. However being aware of the standards is one thing, telling the differences is another.
Browsing the common coding ...
0
votes
2answers
180 views
Naming Rules: Standards, Reserved, and what do they depend on? [closed]
I want to know the rules of naming (AlwaysCapitalize, _underscore, firstSmallLetter, etc...) for each of Namespaces, Classes, Interfaces, Exceptions, Data Members, Methods, Variables, etc....
also I ...
5
votes
5answers
749 views
How to deal with different programming styles in a team?
We have a small dev team (only 3 developers) and we recently got
a new team member. While he is a smart coder, his coding style is
completely different from ours. Our existing code base contains
...
17
votes
12answers
2k views
Is it an appropriate use of #define to make typing repeated code easier?
Is there any view on whether using the #define to define full lines of code for simplifying coding is good or bad programming practice? For example, if I needed to print a bunch of words together, I'd ...
0
votes
4answers
221 views
How do I convince some one that test should do assertion (not assertions) and not the helper methods
Joined a new employer and came across a new style of writing tests.
@Test()
public testMethodWhichDoesNotDoAnyAssertion() {
LoginPage loginPage = signUpPage.doLogin("username","password");
...
1
vote
4answers
184 views
What are the pros and cons of directly exposing a Table/View entity class to the client?
I'm developing a multi-tier application. We separate our project into three logical layers: client, service and data access. However, almost all methods in the service layer don't do anything except ...
3
votes
7answers
2k views
Is there a common capitalization convention in C++?
I do a lot of work in Python and Java, and both those languages have fairly common (though not universal) conventions on how capitalization should be used in identifiers: both use PascalCase for class ...
68
votes
17answers
13k views
What is the benefit of not using Hungarian notation?
One of the things I struggle with is not using Hungarian notation. I don't want to have to go to the variable definition just to see what type it is. When a project gets extensive, it's nice to be ...
1
vote
3answers
337 views
What are pros and cons of using temporary “references”?
In C and C++ (and I guess other languages that allow taking a "reference" to an array element or something similar), when you have an array like type, accessing individual elements of such an array ...
4
votes
2answers
448 views
Why are people afraid to die()?
I have seen a lot of people (first comment) hating die(); instead of exit;
As the follow-up comments on that post note, die and exit are the same - the attitude appears to be one of perception, with ...
2
votes
6answers
1k views
Line break before/after operator
While Sun's Java code convention suggests to put line break before the operator many other guidelines disagree with it. I do not see any obvious pros and cons, so are there advantages of using one of ...
50
votes
14answers
6k views
Why do most of us use 'i' as a loop counter variable?
Has anyone thought about why so many of us repeat this same pattern using the same variable names?
for (int i = 0; i < foo; i++) {
// ...
}
It seems most code I've ever looked at uses i, j, ...
5
votes
1answer
387 views
A standard style guide or best-practice guide for web application development
I run a very small team of developers on a web application, just three people (and not even full time). We're all capable developers, but we write our code in very different ways: we name similar ...
15
votes
14answers
1k views
Coding standards and coding style, is it that much important?
There are a lot of ways of typing code, but I can't understand what is the good reason to adopt a certain standard or style if it does not change the way the code can be read and understood.
Everyone ...
13
votes
10answers
1k views
How important is a good coding style for the decision to hire a programmer?
Even as a student I am asked to review the code of programmers who have (not) passed a test (create a list of Fibonacci numbers on android).
While I am very strict on coding style I just read about ...
0
votes
2answers
515 views
[C] Address of array elements
What is the most readable way of using address of an array element?
I usually see &array[n] but I personally think array+n looks cleaner and more readable.
What do other C coders prefer?
2
votes
3answers
258 views
C# Coding Standard - Position of Attribute in relation to Target
I had thought that this was one of the few solved problems in C# coding standards / style; Attributes always appear on the line above the thing to which they are applied a la
[SomeClassAttribute]
...
10
votes
8answers
487 views
What about all those coding rules?
I always supported the idea of having coding rules for developers in a company or a specific project. Especially if the company is size greater than 10. The bigger the company the bigger the need. I ...
2
votes
5answers
993 views
How to not mix HTML with PHP?
I made an application in EXTJS, but my technical architect and project manager say we don't want big file, so removed the EXTJS and made in object oriented PHP and JavaScript code, mixing HTML with ...
