Resources for Writing Clean Code as a Software Developer

Is there value in making sure your code is clean and understandable?

Richard Hay, Senior Content Producer

December 13, 2016

2 Min Read
Resources for Writing Clean Code as a Software Developer

I came across a very interesting article this week and wanted to share some of the details with you here on Developer Pro.

First let me say that I have not been and do not expect to ever be a developer. I have poked around with some BASIC back in the days I had my Commodore 64, HTML as I learned the web stuff, and have even used wizards & drag/drop interfaces to build simple Windows apps. I can also dig out the places where HTML is used to create pages in PHP code such as that for WordPress and its library of plugins.

So basically I know enough to be dangerous inside of code.

However, I will say this - what has helped me in the past to be less dangerous is good clean commented code that helped me understand what is happening.

Well all of my past tinkering in code flashed back into my mind as I came across an article by Christos Matskas, a software engineer and the founder of SoftwareLounge. It was published on the TechNet UK Blog by Chris Walden.

"Writing clean, concise code is a lot harder than it sounds. It requires experience and a good understanding of how code hangs together. The larger the system, the bigger the challenge. As a developer, there is nothing worse than having to support and troubleshoot badly written code. Sometimes, it’s us that write that code. I can attest that I have produced some code ‘gems’, and I’m sure I’ve written some awful code that’s still running on a server in a basement somewhere. I’ve worked hard, learnt from my mistakes and I hope that I’ve come a long way since those darker days. I also understand that I have a long road ahead of me, and I strive to learn and improve my coding skills every day."

He shared several clean code principles in the article about these areas of coding:

  • Naming Things

  • Naming Consistency

  • Code Comments

  • Readability

  • S.O.L.I.D. Is Your Friend (Principles of Class Design)

  • Size Matters

  • Writing "Clever" Code

  • Test Driving Development/Testing in General

But, wait...there's probably more so be sure to follow me on Twitter and Google+.

About the Author

Richard Hay

Senior Content Producer, IT Pro Today (Informa Tech)

I served for 29 plus years in the U.S. Navy and retired as a Master Chief Petty Officer in November 2011. My work background in the Navy was telecommunications related so my hobby of computers fit well with what I did for the Navy. I consider myself a tech geek and enjoy most things in that arena.

My first website – AnotherWin95.com – came online in 1995. Back then I used GeoCities Web Hosting for it and WindowsObserver.com is the result of the work I have done on that site since 1995.

In January 2010 my community contributions were recognized by Microsoft when I received my first Most Valuable Professional (MVP) Award for the Windows Operating System. Since then I have been renewed as a Microsoft MVP each subsequent year since that initial award. I am also a member of the inaugural group of Windows Insider MVPs which began in 2016.

I previously hosted the Observed Tech PODCAST for 10 years and 317 episodes and now host a new podcast called Faith, Tech, and Space. 

I began contributing to Penton Technology websites in January 2015 and in April 2017 I was hired as the Senior Content Producer for Penton Technology which is now Informa Tech. In that role, I contribute to ITPro Today and cover operating systems, enterprise technology, and productivity.

https://twitter.com/winobs

Sign up for the ITPro Today newsletter
Stay on top of the IT universe with commentary, news analysis, how-to's, and tips delivered to your inbox daily.

You May Also Like