Programming Tips: 4 Steps to Better Code

Here are four tips that will help your code automatically get better. a. Use Small Methods: This tends to be the most difficult part in coding, but it’s arguably the most important as well. Keeping your methods small, helps maintain tidier code, with more descriptive method names and fewer side effects. Your code will be easier to run through and that will help you maintain a wider view of your work. b. Immutable Classes: Next time you’re writing code from the ground up, try doing it using immutable classes. An immutable class makes sure you data stay safe. It cannot in any way change the data it encapsulates and data can only be manipulated via instant new objects with the manipulated data. Also, it helps you retain small classes, that are easy to test, since, being immutable, they are not susceptible to side effects or other parameters. c. Reduce Side Effects: Side effects make methods less predictable and harder to test. Also, they tend to be longer than they ought to. Of course, side effects are also hard to avoid, but when reviewing your work, you’ll find that there’s always room to polish up your code by reducing and/or centralizing your side effects. d. Refactor Immediately: Refactoring helps make sure that you code is clean and lean, that’s why it’s such an important step to go through before submitting your work. Now obviously, since this is the very last step you’re meant to take once you’re done coding, a lot of coders tend to just skip it, especially when you’re working on a deadline, but to put it plain and simple, you shouldn’t. Otherwise, all the time spent compiling your classes, loops and methods, may have been in vain. So just do it immediately, before you get the chance to change your mind.