“Cleanliness is a virtue” is something you must have heard from your parents or teachers as they berate you for cleaning your room or area. Indeed, the state of being clean is something that all of us want, not just in the real world but also in programming. Web developers, product designers, and programmers prefer clean code because it is easy to read, understand, maintain, improve, and test.
Software development company in the UK can attest to the benefits of clean code. We are composed of experienced professionals who know coding and programming by heart, which allows us to ensure that we develop readable, bug-free code.
Learning how to develop clean code like us is not something a beginner should undertake right away. If you’re new to the subject, you must know the basics first of clean code, such as its fundamental tenets, including readability, maintainability, and simplicity. Sounds fun? Keep reading to gain knowledge about the top 5 principles of clean code.
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What Does it Mean By Clean Code?
The term clean code best encapsulates software code that is easily comprehensible to developers. It means the programming code can be read and understood so that another programmer or coder can quickly make changes and improve the code to detect issues and fix bugs. The code is essentially simple, readable, understandable, maintainable, and testable
While it may seem like you must follow a rule book to achieve a clean code, the contrary is true. You only need to know basic concepts to ensure that you develop a clean programming code.
Top 5 Principles of Clean Code
Knowing the following principles of clean code can help you develop high-quality and seamless software that is completely functional, bug-free, and highly valuable for users.
Simplicity
The mnemonic KISS, which stands for “Keep it simple, stupid,” is an excellent reminder of the first tenet of clean code. Programmers, coders, and software developers must keep their code simple and avoid complex programming. The variety of programming languages and commands that programmers can use gives them the liberty to solve the problem in the manner that they prefer. But, they must remember to keep it simple.
Readability
Make sure that your code is readable not only by smart computers that will execute it but by other developers as well. This is especially true if you’re part of a team. You must see to it that your code can be understood by other members, so they can engage with it and make the necessary adjustments and improvements. Some useful tips to improve code readability are to avoid abbreviations, refrain from using general terms, and steer clear of negative coding and lengthy if-else statements.
Maintainability
Another basic principle in clean coding is maintainability. When a code is maintainable, developers and programmers can easily edit and update the existing code without tearing down the code. Bugs and issues can also be detected and troubleshooted right away. The purpose of maintainability is to keep the software up to date. Clean code allows you to understand, modify, and extend the code even if you’re not the primary developer of the program. So, if you don’t think a clean code is profitable in the short run, think of its benefits in the long run.
No Repetitions
In the interest of keeping code simple, readable, and maintainable, you must avoid unnecessary repetitions in your code. No repetitions mean the functions in your program are in a 1:1 ratio — they only perform a single purpose and are not redundant. Repetition can occur in numerous parts of your program, so you must keep a keen eye for it. One tip to avoid redundancy is to combine similar processes into a single function. Another helpful trick is refactoring. This allows you to reuse and recall a function from different parts of your programming code.
Consistency
Keep your code consistent from start to end. If you decide to create your code a certain way, you must stick to it until you finish the software. Consistency means you must keep naming variables, creating functions, formatting, and overall coding structure unchanged. This principle of clean code assists developers and programmers in understanding and working with your programming language and structure. Furthermore, consistency helps them avoid errors and issues in the code.
Clean Coding Best Practices
Now that you know the fundamental principles of clean code, it would be best to supplement your knowledge with best practices when coding.
- Name variables properly – Consider naming your variables properly to avoid confusion in your code. Do not abbreviate and use a concise variable name that is not too short or long. Your variables should also have a purpose and must be relevant to the function or programming code.
- Follow a consistent naming system – There are different naming conventions for variables involving capitalization, such as nameConvention or NameConvention, underscore (name_convention), and hyphen (name-convention). Choose only one style throughout your code for consistency.
- Add comments – Comments on programming code provide guidance for programmers and developers on the particular function or purpose of the code. It will help you and other members of your team read and understand the code and make necessary modifications.
- Work with a peer – Another programmer can testify to how clean your code is. Ask peers for feedback regarding the readability, simplicity, maintainability, and testability of your code. If they can easily understand your code, it means they consider your code to be clean.
Clean code is guided by principles that will ensure the simplicity, readability, and maintainability of the software. It is advantageous to you as a programmer or software developer both in the short and long run. You can avoid mistakes and confusion and can easily detect bugs with proper and good coding. Other developers can also easily jump into coding and modify and extend your code with ease.
If you’re looking for a reputable software development company, Limeup is the perfect one for you. We have worked with professional developers, programmers, and designers to deliver the best digital products to a wide range of companies from various industries.
