Here is a short description of programming style from Wikipedia: Programming style is a set of rules or guidelines used when writing the source code for a computer program.
284
votes
16answers
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Where did the notion of “one return only” come from?
I often talk to Java programmers who say "Don't put multiple return statements in the same method." When I ask them to tell me the reasons why, all I get is "The coding standard says so." or "It's ...
140
votes
7answers
13k views
Why is 80 characters the 'standard' limit for code width?
Why is 80 characters the "standard" limit for code width? Why 80 and not 79, 81 or 100? What is the origin of this particular value?
79
votes
17answers
3k views
Can a function be too short?
Whenever I find myself writing the same logic more than once, I usually stick it in a function so there is only one place in my application I have to maintain that logic. A side effect is that I ...
66
votes
17answers
11k 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 ...
65
votes
56answers
8k views
Worst coding standard you've ever had to follow? [closed]
Have you ever had to work to coding standards that:
Greatly decreased your productivity?
Were originally included for good reasons but were kept long after the original concern became irrelevant?
...
59
votes
12answers
2k views
Is there a point to including a “change log” in every code file when you are using version control?
I was under the impression that a version control system eliminated the need to have "change logs" plastered everywhere in the code. I've often seen the continued use of change logs, including big ...
53
votes
17answers
2k 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 ...
51
votes
24answers
2k views
Is writing comments inside methods not a good practice?
A friend told me that writing comments inside methods is not good. He said that we should have comments only for the method definitions(javadocs) but not inside the method body. It seems he read in a ...
50
votes
17answers
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Are first person comments distracting and unprofessional?
I just found myself writing the following comment in some (archaic Visual Basic 6.0) code I was writing:
If WindowState <> 1 Then
'The form's not minimized, so we can resize it safely
...
46
votes
20answers
2k views
Using single characters for variable names in loops/exceptions
I've had a couple of discussions with a co-worker about the use of single letter variable names in certain circumstances inside our codebase, at which we both disagree.
He favours more verbose naming ...
41
votes
14answers
3k 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, ...
39
votes
15answers
2k views
Working on someone else's code [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the most effective way to add functionality to unfamiliar, structurally unsound code?
I have hardly a year's experience in coding. After I started working, most ...
39
votes
15answers
2k views
Is it wrong to use a boolean parameter to determine behavior?
I have seen a practice from time to time that "feels" wrong, but I can't quite articulate what is wrong about it. Or maybe it's just my prejudice. Here goes:
A developer defines a method with a ...
38
votes
42answers
630 views
What “bad practice” do you do, and why? [closed]
Well, "good practice" and "bad practice" are tossed around a lot these days - "Disable assertions in release builds", "Don't disable assertions in release builds", "Don't use goto.", we've got all ...
34
votes
13answers
1k views
Handling Coding Standards at Work (I'm not the boss)
I work on a small team, around 10 devs. We have no coding standards at all. There are certain things that have become the norm but some ways of doing things are completely disparate. My big one is ...
