Writing Clean Code: Tidy Up Mr. Software Engineer



Author: Kostas Papanikolaou

Categories: Technology

Writing Clean Code: Tidy Up Mr. Software Engineer

Cleaning is a word generally met with some displease, however, its results are always good, whether it is in regards to hygiene, or… code! Writing clean code is one of the most important targets a software engineer can set their sights on, as not only it allows them to write better, but also paves the way for less writing.

Tips and practices for writing clean code are countless, which can be overwhelming at times, especially for junior software engineers and developers.

Every single minute spent studying and experimenting on how to write clean code, is a minute well-spent. Not only does it allow the developer to create code faster and more efficiently, but it helps with three very important aspects of any business.

Helps team onboarding

Welcoming new developers to your team is never an easy task, given they will need to understand a business’ pre-existing code, and acclimate to it. Writing clean code allows new-coming developers to understand a company’s code seamlessly.

A messy code will cost time, and increase the chances of errors happening. Writing clean code helps developers that don’t know it, follow it and work with it seamlessly, provided we help them through the early stages of learning it.

Makes the code easier to follow

Developers who join teams that already have made progress in writing their code need to understand and learn how to work with that code. In addition, they need to be able to follow the practices followed for writing code within a company.

Writing clean code beforehand will allow newcomers to understand the coding philosophy of a business. Imagine you are the new software engineer at a company and you encounter a messy code that you need to be attuned to. You are bound to either a) fail to get acclimated or b) learn writing code the messy way and perpetuate that practice.

Allows for easier return to projects

One of the integral parts of writing code requires developers to return to it for fine-tuning, fixing mistakes, or simply changing something due to a new feature that needs to be supported.

Writing clean code from the beginning allows developers to return to a stack of code that is easy to understand, and therefore easy to change/tune as they see it fit. The time spent writing clean code from the beginning is much more valuable than the time one would spend when returning to a sloppy code.

The more a developer writes, the cleaner their code will be, and the less they will need to write in the future

How to start writing clean code

After presenting the three pillars that support the clean code philosophy, it is time to check out a few tips on how to write clean code. Writing clean code is as simple as writing code, with a few tweaks and fine-tuning to optimize the final result.

Even one or two of these tips can prove fundamental to how clean a code can be, and developers should consider following as many as they see fit, tailoring them to how they like to write code.

Functions & Methods: Divide and conquer

This is one of the most important tips a developer, and especially a new developer can practice. Making sure that each function or method performs only one task allows software engineers to name their functions and methods in a cleaner way so that other developers could understand what they do.

More importantly, functions become more predictable, producing the same output when given the same inputs. Robert C. Martin introduced this practice as one of his five object-oriented design principles known as SOLID. It is called the “Single Responsibility Principle”.

Commenting makes things clear

Regardless of how simple a developer makes their functions, variables, and methods, some lines of code require explanation. Software engineers should not be afraid to add comments, to clarify things found in their code.

Comments give perspective and explain the purpose of something a developer wrote in their code, while also providing insight on what a code might need to become even better.

Consistency is vital

Whether you are a software developer or not, you must have noticed that when you find a practice that you like and that works, you stick to it. The same applies to writing clean code. Consistency in your practices is vital not only for your code to be clean, but for you to set up a coding “framework”, and for others to understand that approach.

A great way to understand why developing a coding principle is important is to read our blog on Design Systems, and how companies set rules that allow them to bring forth consistent services and/or products.

Review, review, and review

In a previous blog, we have discussed Software Testing and why it is fundamental to creating great applications and software. Reviewing everything you create allows you to gain perspective on what you have achieved, what you need to fix, what you may need to remove, and what you may need to add.

Going back and revisiting their code allows developers to clean it properly, one step at a time, optimizing it both for the needs of the project, as well as for themselves and other developers.

Start tidy, keep it steady

The aforementioned tips on how to write and maintain a clean code are just a few of the countless ways developers have in writing clean code. One thing we know for certain is that if you start something in a tidy manner, it is bound to stay that way.

Writing clean code starts from the very first line of code, and can go on for countless lines. Bumps along the way are unavoidable, however, developing a solid coding philosophy based on writing clean code will allow developers to get ahead of these bumps while making sure they do not encounter them again in the future.

Tags: Clean Code, Code, write clean code, write code, writing clean code