Coding Standards: Because Even Code Needs a Dress Code
26 Sep 2024
Coding standards are a divisive subject; you either love or hate them. They are a necessary evil, though I will admit I find it tedious to ensure all my code is spaced correctly and nicely formatted. However, the time it takes me to reread my code after not seeing it for some time is greatly reduced, all thanks to coding standards.
Coding standards vastly improve the readability of your code for yourself as well as others. They serve as guidelines that should be followed not because they’re an authoritarian rulebook, but because they represent community best practices. Just like I choose to keep my eyes closed at the dentist, I also choose to follow coding standards, because they improve the experience all around. Please don’t be the person who stares at the dentist while they work.
Following coding rules helps keep things the same in a project. When different people work on the same code, a shared style helps everyone understand what’s happening. What if you opened a project where each file looked different, where each used different naming conventions and indentation styles, it can feel like trying to read a book that changes languages every chapter.
While setting up coding standards may feel vapid, there are tools today that accelerate the process by checking and fixing your code automatically meaning you can spend less time worrying about spacing and more time writing impactful code. Embracing these tools can expedite your workflow and make following coding standards less burdensome.
In the end, coding standards are not just about maintaining order; they are about creating a culture of quality and respect for each other’s work. By following these guidelines, you show that you care about the readability of your code, which benefits everyone involved. So the next time you’re tempted to skip those standards for the sake of speed, remember: a little effort now can save you a lot of headaches later on. After all, no one wants to be the developer staring blankly at their own code, wondering what on earth they were thinking.