Here are 10 critical techniques for writing clean, organized, and understandable code in any programming language:
1. Keep it Simple
The first and most important rule of writing clean code is to keep it simple and readable. As the saying goes, “Keep It Simple, Stupid”. The simpler your code is, the fewer errors it will have and the easier it will be for others to understand. Writing clean code is an art, but it’s crucial to remember that code is not a canvas for your creativity. Rather, it’s a tool for solving problems. By keeping your code simple, you’ll reduce the risk of introducing bugs and make it easier for other developers to work with your code
2. Develop Processes and Follow Them
As your code gets more complex, you’ll face challenging problems. The best way to tackle these problems is to break them down into smaller, more manageable parts and develop a process for solving each part. Over time, you’ll develop a set of processes that work for you, and your code will become cleaner and more efficien
3. Comments Are For Winners
As you gain more experience as a programmer, it’s easy to forget one of the most fundamental tips: leave comments in your code. Comments are important in any programming language. They make updating, debugging, and analyzing your code much easier and more efficient. Comments are also critical when other developers need to work on your code. So, make it a habit to leave comments in your code, explaining what you’re doing and why.
4. Keep it Small
Writing a 10,000 line code doesn’t make you a great developer. Reducing a 10,000 line code to something smaller, without sacrificing functionality, does. To keep your code small, avoid repeating code and use programming tools such as functions, objects, and arrays effectively. Optimizing your code is what sets great developers apart from good ones.
5. Mind Your Indentation
Indentation is essential for organizing and structuring your code, especially when you’re working on a team. Think of your code as a grocery store. If all the dairy products aren’t in one section, it can be tough to find the milk. The same is true for your code. If you don’t indent your code properly, it can be difficult to understand and work with.
6. Use Proper Naming Conventions
This is one tip that keeps popping up in nearly every discussion about the correct way of working on any programming language, and still people tend to forget or neglect it. Using proper naming conventions is a critical part of writing clean code. It makes it easier for other developers to understand your code and reduces the risk of introducing bugs. Make sure to name elements based on what they are and maintain a consistent naming convention throughout your code.
7. Explore and Learn
Become your own teacher and explore as much as you can. There are plenty of online courses and experienced developers who share their insights. The more you code, the better you’ll get. So, never stop learning. Always look for opportunities to explore new techniques and improve your skills.
8. Use Your Brain
Instead of copying and pasting code from other sources, use your brain. Optimize the code you have and work through problems on your own. By using others’ code, you might get a quick fix, but you won’t learn how to write clean code until you use your brain.
9. Test, Test, Test
Running into bugs in your code is absolutely frustrating, but it obviously will happen. To reduce these situations, test your code often. It takes time to run tests which is why some coders don’t do it, but I guarantee it will save work in the long run.
10. Play with Code
Being a great developer is both an art and a science. You must practice writing code and learn new programming languages. Humans generally learn best by doing, and from what we can tell of the animal world at large, play is a huge part of learning. Play will result in failure, but play also allows us a fun opportunity to try again and again until we get it right. Play with code like it’s a toy, enjoy what you do, and it will translate into making you a better coder
