7 Best Coding Practices to follow

From email automation to website functionalities to apps on our phones, the digital world is powered by the computer language: code. Coding is the thinking that goes into digital minds, directing computers what to do, how to do it, and when to do it.

Regrettably, coding is a challenging discipline to organize. Every language has its own syntax, which each developer employs with slight variations depending on the company and geographic area. And when you're managing variables and constants across thousands of lines of code, things may rapidly become perplexing.

That is why you must adhere to a set of guidelines. Here's how to make sure you're using the best coding principles to develop code that's basic, readable, easy to change, and reusable.

Create and Stick to a Style Guide

When learning to code, having a style guide is critical for larger coding activities but can also aid improve workflow in smaller teams. A style guide is the core set of rules that all of your code must follow in order to be easy to write and edit. Style guides establish criteria for Naming conventions, Spacing, and braces, Indentation standards

Style guidelines can account for a variety of additional factors, but it all depends on your company's demands. Ensure that all coders have access to the style guide, that it is reviewed and updated on a regular basis, and that all code is tested against the guide before release.

Simplicity and Consistency

Depending on the function's complexity, coding might easily become too convoluted and stylistic. Without delving through lengthy syntax lines, such code might be extremely difficult to update. Stylized and sophisticated code also facilitates the formation of errors and defects.

As a result, make your code as simple as feasible. Allow it to go unprogrammed if it can. If not, try to write a few lines of code as possible while remaining effective. You prefer effusiveness to effusiveness.

Furthermore, you'll want to keep your code as uniform as possible so that if an issue occurs, you or another team member can readily detect and repair it. Use the same labeling conventions for variables and functions, indent and order lines consistently, and follow consistent nesting procedures. Another advantage of using a style guide is consistency.

Test your code

Testing your code is one of the greatest (and only) ways to confirm that it is working properly. Every time you finish a new piece, run your code through its paces. Because you'll be able to tell what changed from the last time you run the application, you'll be able to address errors quickly and easily.

Try not to shrug off mistakes. Despite popular belief, lowering readability for the sake of reliability is a good idea. A code that is easy to read but cannot be used is not a code; it is a tangle of ineffective variables and filler.

Pen Down Everything

It's better to get into the habit of logging comments at the start of every piece of code you write. Appropriate comments indicate what the following line or few lines of code do so that if something goes wrong, you know exactly where to search to find the solution.

The same is true for variables. Variables with consistent names are easier to find and use than variables with random names. Using a consistent pattern can make larger chunks of code more understandable for both humans and machines.

Along with your code, you should add a README file that explains what each component does. This file should also include installation, testing, and building instructions, as well as information about any dependencies it may have.

If this sounds like a lot of work, there are some excellent tools available that can manage variables and keep logs for you while discovering any coding errors.

Keep Your Code DRY

DRY, or Don't Repeat Yourself, is a popular coding credo for good reason. DRY code indicates that each item is distinct, purpose-built, and represents a single system-required function. This is related to keeping your coding simple — if it's previously been coded one way, don't code it in a different style.