Readability measures how easy code is to read and understand.
1
vote
2answers
69 views
Is input validation necessary?
This is a very naive question about input validation in general.
I'm a MATLAB user (1.5 years old) and I learned about input validation techniques such as "parse" and "validatestring". In fact, ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Get subset of associative array. Which of these is more readable? Is there another reason to use one over the other (or a different method)
If I have an array that has more info than I need and I want to pull out a subset of its name value pairs I have come up with 2 methods.
Both rely on this:
...
13
votes
4answers
846 views
Which way to terminate reading loop is the preferred approach?
When you have to iterate a reader where the number of items to read is unknown, and the only way to do is it to keep reading until you hit the end.
This is often the place you need an endless loop.
...
9
votes
5answers
538 views
Can a pure-functional solution to this problem be as clean as the imperative?
I have an exercise in Python as follows:
a polynomial is given as a tuple of coefficients such that the powers are determined by the indexes, e.g.: (9,7,5) means 9 + 7*x + 5*x^2
write a function to ...
1
vote
4answers
242 views
What's the most readable way of echoing from PHP?
Should I use
<?php
if(!$user->is_logged_in()){
echo '<p id="login">Click <a href="login">here</a> to log in</p>';
}
?>
or
<?php
...
1
vote
1answer
272 views
Readability vs benefits of polymorphism
We are dealing with a lot of CRUD operations in our application. Each database table has one or more corresponding SQLContainer instances to perform various types of operations. All of these ...
0
votes
4answers
223 views
Usage of magic strings/numbers [closed]
This is somewhat controversial topic, and I guess there is as many opinions as there are programmers. But for the sake of it, I want to know what are the common practices in business (or in your work ...
5
votes
6answers
394 views
Why do many languages not support named parameters? [closed]
I was just thinking how much easier it would be to read code if, when calling a function, you could write:
doFunction(param1=something, param2=somethingElse);
I can't think of any drawbacks and it ...
11
votes
5answers
454 views
Code repetition vs multi responsible method
I try to follow the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) and also to omit Code Repetitions. However there are often places where there are code repetitions that are nothing more than code blocks of ...
1
vote
3answers
228 views
Storing a value vs calling reference for repeated use in Java
I have an old habit of avoiding calling references multiple times, both for easier to read/maintain code, and for possible efficiency. But I'm wondering which is more efficient (memory, performance, ...
0
votes
2answers
431 views
Good or bad code? Or “a secret reason”?
I think this code:
if(file_exists("amodule.inc.php"))
require_once("amodule.inc.php");
is misleading because of the use of the require_once.
I think that - to keep the logic and "wording" ...
3
votes
2answers
231 views
Extracting lambda expressions from linq queries and readability
Every now and then when I have a complex lambda, I do something like this:
Func<SomeObject, bool> equals = o =>
o.ID == someID && o.Name == someName && IsAdd || ...
var ...
1
vote
2answers
253 views
How much functional programming expertise can programmers be expected to have? [closed]
I'm coding in a non-functional language with functional mechanisms (C# to be specific, but you could substitute, say C++ and use function pointers, or what have you) on a small team. It's my habit to ...
0
votes
1answer
65 views
Good practice to use namespace or prefix to indicate what file function is from? [duplicate]
For example, I have the function generate_salt() in encryption.file but the person may not know where generate_salt() is from. Using a namespace like encryption::generate_salt(), or ...
11
votes
6answers
939 views
Do sigils make source code easier to read?
In most programming languages, variables do not have identifying characters like they do in PHP. In PHP you must prefix a variable with the $ character.
Example;
var $foo = "something";
echo $foo;
...
3
votes
6answers
740 views
Clarification of “avoid if-else” advice [duplicate]
The experts in clean code advise not to use if/else since it's creating an unreadable code. They suggest rather using IF and not to wait till the end of a method without real need.
Now, this if/else ...
5
votes
5answers
391 views
Is it best to use “get” as a prefix for getters?
if I had a boolean (property) shouldAutoLogin is it better to name the getter getShouldAutoLogin or just shouldAutoLogin so that it reads more like English?
ex :
if(shouldAutoLogin){
...
}
or ...
1
vote
2answers
206 views
XML/HTML: Do we need the element name in closing tags?
Compared to other serialization languages, one of the main criticisms directed at XML is its verbosity; JSON's more terse and readable for most cases, but not all.
But it seems to me that we could ...
11
votes
4answers
557 views
When and for what purposes should the const keyword be used in C for variables?
While getting my code reviewed here the issue of using the const keyword came up. I understand that it is used for implementing read-only behaviour on variables.
I am confused about what are the ...
0
votes
5answers
169 views
Question regarding Readability vs Processing Time
I am creating a flowchart for a program with multiple sequential steps.
Every step should be performed if the previous step is succesful. I use a c-based programming language so the lay-out would be ...
8
votes
5answers
196 views
Gathering all data in single iteration vs using functions for readable code
Say I have an array of runners with which I need to find the tallest runner, the fastest runner, and the lightest runner. It seems like the most readable solution would be:
runners = getRunners();
...
2
votes
3answers
149 views
Equating multiple new variables with an old one
Sometimes I run into a situation where I need to equate two new variables with an old one. Which of the following (if any) is a good practice (w.r.t. code readability or any other factor), under what ...
16
votes
4answers
5k views
Why are nested loops considered bad practice?
My lecturer mentioned today that it was possible to "label" loops in Java so that you could refer to them when dealing with nested loops. So I went home and looked up the feature as I didn't know ...
15
votes
8answers
795 views
Should I write compact code or code with lots of spaces? [duplicate]
I have two friends that have completely different schools of thought on how to lay out their code.
The first says that code should be well-indented and use lots of spaces and to name variables ...
6
votes
1answer
653 views
How to write readable Clojure Code?
I am new to Clojure. I can understand the code I write but it becomes too difficult to understand it later.
It becomes difficult to match parentheses.
What's the generic conventions to follow ...
12
votes
1answer
502 views
Are there any statistics on how often code is read?
I have often come across claims that source code is read much more than it is written and just wanted to do a little calculation like:
If you write a line that takes me 5 minutes longer to read ...
2
votes
4answers
3k views
What's the dominant naming convention for variables in PHP: camelcase or underscores? [closed]
The consensus seems to be that one should follow the convention of the platform they're developing for. See:
Underscore or camelcase?
Naming conventions: camelCase versus underscore_case?
However, ...
3
votes
2answers
335 views
Programming by Intention, Depth-First or Breadth-First?
Say I have the following graph of dependencies between procedures/functions/methods:
o
/ \
v e
/ \ / \
r f l w
That is, function o first calls function v, and then ...
103
votes
13answers
21k views
Is it OK to split long functions and methods into smaller ones even though they won't be called by anything else? [duplicate]
Lately I've been trying to split long methods into several short ones.
For example: I have a process_url() function which splits URLs into components and then assigns them to some objects via their ...
0
votes
2answers
160 views
Boolean-Integer Typecasting to Replace Conditional
When choosing a value based off of 2 boolean values in this format
var foo:int;
if (X){
foo = 50;
} else if (Y){
foo = -50;
} else {
foo = 0;
}
I discovered that I can condense this ...
7
votes
3answers
557 views
Is relying on implicit argument conversion considered dangerous?
C++ has a feature (I cannot figure out the proper name of it), that automatically calls matching constructors of parameter types if the argument types are not the expected ones.
A very basic example ...
3
votes
3answers
212 views
Is it correct to exclude argument names from function prototypes?
I was recently creating a small technical documentation for an application. The document is to be used by newly hired programmers to get acquainted with the application. It is much friendlier than the ...
4
votes
4answers
281 views
In which order should I do comparisons? [duplicate]
I'm a strong proponent of writing if statements like this:
variable == constant
Because to me it just makes sense, it is more readable than the inverted:
constant == variable
Which seems to be ...
2
votes
2answers
316 views
Leaving “Else” comments
Let's say I have a not-so-intuitive if statement in my code, but only if you're new to the codebase:
def set_markets(markets=None):
"""
Will accept 'all' as markets to set all markets on.
...
4
votes
2answers
351 views
Java Generics - how to strike a balance between expressiveness and simplicity
I'm developing some code that utilizes generics, and one of my guiding principles was to make it usable for future scenarios, and not just today's. However, several coworkers have expressed that I may ...
12
votes
1answer
1k views
Why Bootstrap 3 changes camelCase to dashes - is it more readable?
I'm wondering what's the reasoning behind Bootstrap's decision to change all camel case names into hyphenated names in v3.0. I searched on Google, and looked in a few books, but I can only find ...
6
votes
3answers
397 views
Is 'using' appropriate in a context where there is nothing to dispose?
In C#, using statement is used to dispose in a deterministic manner the resources without waiting for garbage collector. For example, it may be used to:
Dispose SQL commands or connections,
Close ...
12
votes
4answers
582 views
Emphasize negation
I was just writing an if statement with fairly long property names and came occross this problem.
Let say we have an if statement like this:
...
17
votes
5answers
1k views
Descriptive naming vs. 80 character lines [closed]
I frequently hear these two valuable programming practices: (1) lines of code should be 80 characters or less and (2) use descriptive names for variables, methods, classes, etc. I understand the ...
19
votes
2answers
1k views
Is it a good idea to provide different function signatures that do the same thing?
Here is a C++ class that gets constructed with three values.
class Foo{
//Constructor
Foo(std::string, int, char);
private:
std::string foo;
char bar;
int baz;
};
All of ...
5
votes
5answers
351 views
Question regarding code readability
I would like to know, is it considered a common practice to use constructions like |=, &&, ||, != altogether in the single line of code?
E.g.
hasErrors |= vi2!=null && ...
6
votes
3answers
205 views
“static” as a semantic clue about statelessness?
this might be a little philosophical but I hope someone can help me find a good way to think about this.
I've recently undertaken a refactoring of a medium sized project in Java to go back and add ...
0
votes
2answers
397 views
Why is there never any controversy regarding the switch statement? [closed]
We all know that the gotostatement should only be used on very rare occasions if at all. It has been discouraged to use the goto statement countless places countless times. But why it there never ...
8
votes
5answers
599 views
Which is more maintainable — boolean assignment via if/else or boolean expression?
Which would be considered more maintainable?
if (a == b) c = true; else c = false;
or
c = (a == b);
I've tried looking in Code Complete, but can't find an answer.
I think the first is more ...
4
votes
1answer
238 views
Distinguishing repetitive code with the same implementation
Given this sample code
import java.util.ArrayList;
import blackjack.model.items.Card;
public class BlackJackPlayer extends Player {
private double bet;
private Hand hand01 = new Hand();
...
54
votes
18answers
4k views
Are long methods always bad?
So looking around earlier I noticed some comments about long methods being bad practice.
I am not sure I always agree that long methods are bad (and would like opinions from others).
For example I ...
8
votes
3answers
546 views
What happens to programmers most oftenly while reading the code of others?
When reading others code do you usually have any troubles understanding it,
Or its more usually that you question the others code about it being wrong/non-efficient/bad-formatted(etc)?
Someone ...
-1
votes
1answer
161 views
Checking timeouts made more readable
I have several situations where I need to control timeouts in a technical application. Either in a loop or as a simple check. Of course – handling this is really easy, but none of these is looking ...
5
votes
6answers
1k views
Functional programming readability
I'm curious about this because I recall before learning any functional languages, I thought them all horribly, awfully, terribly unreadable. Now that I know Haskell and f#, I find it takes a little ...
3
votes
3answers
981 views
What defines code readability? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How would you know if you've written readable and easily maintainable code?
It is often said that readability is perhaps the most important quality-defining measure ...
