programing habits

Well, this is a discussion thread.

I just wanted to ask coders how they write their code, etc.
(of any programing language)

First of all I found that experienced devs tries to void curly brackets.
I mean I find it more easy to read when the code is

PHP Code:

---

if ($something)
{
    if ($anything)
    {
        if ($whatsoever)
        {
            $var = "sumthing";
        **
        else
        {
            $var = "nothing1";
        **
    **
    else
    {
        $var = "nothing2";
    **
**
else
{
    $var = "nothing3";
** 


---

not

PHP Code:

---

if ($something)
    if ($anything)
        if ($whatsoever)
            $var = "sumthing";
        else
            $var = "nothing1";
    else
        $var = "nothing2";
else
    $var = "nothing3"; 


---

even if the statement does 1 thing, but it's far more easier to read and to extend the clauses in the future.

Is there any reason for that? I mean maybe devs try to make the code compatible with legacy versions of particular language or so.. Or is it just personal preference?

The next thing is that I am quite criticized among my course mates in the univ. that I use long variables. But I found it quite helpful to make sense of vars with the scheme
$root_branch_attribute.
e.g.

PHP Code:

---

$server_css_body = "<link rel='stylesheet' href='body.css' />";
$server_css_global = "<link rel='stylesheet' href='global.css' />"; 


---

instead of using vars that does not make sense until you inspect all the code

PHP Code:

---

$css1 = "<link rel='stylesheet' href='body.css' />";
$css2 = "<link rel='stylesheet' href='global.css' />"; 


---

I would like to know what is your attitude towards such aspects of writing code?

I always prefer to use long var names since it is alot easier to remember when i come back to the next day, or a week or so when ive forgotten what it was.
And sometimes when im feeling lazy or sick, i will write code like the second example :P.

lol, I do things my own way.. so I have the habit of making code no one else can really understand well. Not to mention my bad var naming habits. As well as messy formatting. :)

i like to do things the long way so if i stop a project i can understand what i was doing :P

I usually call variables something meaningful, I always use plenty of white space, such as indents and blank lines, and of course I comment throughout.

I tend to prefer more compact code... I avoid blank lines unless necessary to delimit a block, use 1-space indent to minimise side-scrolling, and short identifiers (normally all lowercase). I find the blank lines a distraction... same with huge indents.

Example:

PHP Code:

---

if($something)
 if ($anything)
  if ($whatsoever) 
   $var = "sumthing"; 
  else 
   $var = "nothing1"; 
 else 
 $var = "nothing2"; 
else 
$var = "nothing3"; 


---

Second example:

PHP Code:

---

$scb = "<link rel='stylesheet' href='body.css' />"; 
$scg = "<link rel='stylesheet' href='global.css' />"; 


---

i usually just put all variable in one array..

so i can just do

print_r($config);

and keep all my variables in one place..

I like the long code, every step of the way, I always include all the brackets and stuff, and I don't always use long variable names, sometimes I just store them all in an array, when they're related of course. Makes everything so much easier.

Originally using the curly brace is for more than one line of code per block. If you have just 1 line you dont need to brace it. However some programming languages like lua just let you write everything anywhere regardless. (You could write everything on one line if you want....)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ssddss

Originally using the curly brace is for more than one line of code per block. If you have just 1 line you dont need to brace it. However some programming languages like lua just let you write everything anywhere regardless. (You could write everything on one line if you want....)

---

you can do that in any language...you think compilers/interpeters care about blank lines or spaces?

anyways

if i'm programing for my self i use rather criptyc variable names, i allways indent to make code blocks easyer to understand (normally i don't even need to ident ;P emacs does it)

if i'm programing for univ. projects or something else other then my use, i use easy to understand variable names.

in any case i allways include headers to functions saying what it does and how it does in a simple way (that is cause i'm an abstraction hoe) i don't really care much about how it does after making it, just what it does. so even if i use weird variable names it's easy to understand.

in regard to functions i like to use their returned values has boolean validation. i don't like to do something like

if blah == 1 then... i allways like to do if blah then ;P

Always trying to keep spaces between statemets like if, while, trying to keep the code as easy to read as possible ( I ge confused with messed and compacted much lines of code ) and use long variable names to remember what I use each for.

I do it straight down in notepad.

PHP Code:

---

if($something)
if ($anything)
if ($whatsoever)
$var = "sumthing";
else
$var = "nothing1";
else
$var = "nothing2";
else
$var = "nothing3"; 


---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zajat

I do it straight down in notepad.

PHP Code:

---

if($something)
if ($anything)
if ($whatsoever)
$var = "sumthing";
else
$var = "nothing1";
else
$var = "nothing2";
else
$var = "nothing3"; 


---

---

that's what I was talking about...
unless the script is for personal use, cuz someone will have to indent it anyway ;)

of course, there are some who like to write a lot of statements/commands in one line, so that's even worse... :)

My brain had always been a complete mess.. that's why I prefer using long var names, or short significant names for my vars. I use the curly braces a lot, but only when it's necessary.

e.g.:

PHP Code:

---

if ($something) { 
    if ($anything) { 
       if ($whatsoever) $var = "sumthing"; 
       else $var = "nothing1"; 
    ** 
    else  $var = "nothing2"; 
** 
else $var = "nothing3"; 


---

I try to always indent my code, that's a big help when I forget to close some bracket and I have to check the entire code to find it :tp:

i use this program called notepad++

it helps me a lot with close and open brackets.. all i need to do is hilight a bracket ( close or open ) and the other bracket that is it suppose to be paired with will light up.. so that's basically a very good tool in recoding some of my old works or something

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by john_d

i use this program called notepad++

it helps me a lot with close and open brackets.. all i need to do is hilight a bracket ( close or open ) and the other bracket that is it suppose to be paired with will light up.. so that's basically a very good tool in recoding some of my old works or something

---

that's my favorite tool for any programing tasks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [lexx]

that's my favorite tool for any programing tasks

---

i wish it has.. color picker.. hihihi

I always prefer to keep my code as neat as possible with indents..I don't leave alot of blank lines in the middle though.

Btw, john_d, if i'm not mistaken, the php plugin for MSVS has that feature as well, and I believe you can change the colors on that :P

[N]asser` ~ Out

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [N]asser

I always prefer to keep my code as neat as possible with indents..I don't leave alot of blank lines in the middle though.

Btw, john_d, if i'm not mistaken, the php plugin for MSVS has that feature as well, and I believe you can change the colors on that :P

[N]asser` ~ Out

---

he was talking about notepad++...
it really lacks that feature... then usage of WYSIWYG editors for color picking would be really decreased for me..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [lexx]

he was talking about notepad++...
it really lacks that feature... then usage of WYSIWYG editors for color picking would be really decreased for me..

---

i have to go to other program to puts colors and stuff.. :p no worries though.. fireworks and photoshop always open on pc anyway.. hihih

This recent example says everything about empty lines, indents and namings:

Code:

---

void CMainWnd::OnPaint()
{
        CPaintDC dc(this);

        if (play)
        {
                CHARACTER *chr;
                POSITION pos=chars.GetHeadPosition();
                for (int i=0; i<chars.GetCount(); i++)
                {
                        chr=&chars.GetNext(pos);
                        dc.Ellipse(chr->loc.x-3, chr->loc.y-3, chr->loc.x+3, chr->loc.y+3);
                **
        ** //play
**

---

I'm tempted to use short variable names, I always indent, sometimes I comment the end bracket if there's much code between. For single-statement if's I only indent, not use brackets. Also, I usually put empty lines to separate significantly differing code segments. I usually don't have a problem following a previously written program of mine after a while, but I should work on using more describing variable names when it comes to bigger projects. I usually write the code fast and let compiler point out the mistaken names and missing characters and all.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by john_d

i use this program called notepad++

it helps me a lot with close and open brackets.. all i need to do is hilight a bracket ( close or open ) and the other bracket that is it suppose to be paired with will light up.. so that's basically a very good tool in recoding some of my old works or something

---

I used that for a while, its kind of like gedit on linux.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by john_d

i use this program called notepad++

it helps me a lot with close and open brackets.. all i need to do is hilight a bracket ( close or open ) and the other bracket that is it suppose to be paired with will light up.. so that's basically a very good tool in recoding some of my old works or something

---

That's absolutely right :) I use notepad++ a lot, but I wish it had more php functions added, like odbc functions.
Anyways, that's something I can live with :tp:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lady_Fu

That's absolutely right :) I use notepad++ a lot, but I wish it had more php functions added, like odbc functions.
Anyways, that's something I can live with :tp:

---

would love to see some of your works :p

A certain developer on here made a function in me excel then converted it to code and gave it to me. Since he converted it directly and knew exactly how it was laid out in excel he just named the variables A, B, C etc.. i have been coding in a LOT of languages for YEARS and i have to say thats the most obfuscated piece of crap i have ever seen in my LIFE! it looks like enigma or something! (its only 30 or so lines long! i cant even debug this thing)

I use tab indentation but usually convert it to 4space later, this makes it easier to indent etc but old editors and, particularly, unix developers tend to REALLY hate tabs. One or 2 spaces is simply too small to clearly see the indentation and if you actaully write 4 spaces per indent you end up writing 13 spaces instead of 12 or whichever which will be a total disaster if you ever try a language such as python, which is indentation dependant.

I put my opening braces on their own line but if there is only one line to execute in a block I put it on its own line (unless its a language like VB in which putting it on its own line requires you to put an "End If" on another line). Blank lines can also be very useful to make code readable and people should always ALWAYS use meaningful names for variables.

sometimes i use variable names with names like intSomeNumber, sometimes i use just plain someNumber etc, depending on the language.

I try and keep comments on their own lines and put a space between the comment keyword and its text (for example "' Some comment" or "// Some other comment"

some code of mine may look like this:

Code:

---

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main()
{
    int intSomeNumber = 0;
    int* ptrSomeNumber = &intSomeNumber;

    for(int i = 0; i < 2; i++)
        (*ptrSomeNumber)++;

    // Better output something at some point
    cout << *ptrSomeNumber;

    if(intSomeNumber == *ptrSomeNumber)
    {
        cout << "This definately happened" << endl;
        return 0;
    **
    else
        return 1;
**

---

I know.. im weird.. but i find it makes my code incredibly readable for others :D

Also while people are talking about editors i HIGHLY reccomend one for windows called CRIMSON EDITOR (Homepage of Crimson Editor - Free Text Editor, Html Editor, Programmers Editor for Windows) It's by far the best editor I have ever seen, supports hundreds of languages, tabbed editing and a shedload of good features but remains lightweight, it is pretty reminiscent of gEdit but has a lot more features (hell you can save directly to ftp and use macros and it has auto intent and simple project support) and is for windows (theres an Open Source port i believe called Emerald Editor but i have never seen it actually used)