Best Coding Practices
Encyclopedia
Best coding practices for software development can be broken into many levels based on the coding language, the platform, the target environment and so forth. Using best practice
s for a given situation greatly reduces the probability of introducing errors into your applications
, regardless of which software development
model is being used to create that application.
There are standards that originated from the intensive study of industry experts who analyzed how bugs were generated when code was written and correlated these bugs to specific coding practices. They took these correlations between bugs and coding practices and came up with a set of rules that when used prevented coding errors from occurring. These standard practices offer incredible value to software development organizations because they are pre-packaged automated error prevention practices; they close the feedback loop between a bug and what must be done to prevent that bug from recurring.
In a team environment or group collaboration, best coding practices ensure the use of standards and uniform coding, reducing oversight errors and the time spent in code review. When work is outsourced to a third-party contractor
, having a set of these best practices in place gives you the knowledge that the code produced by the contractor meets all the guidelines mandated by the client company.
It should be understood that these practices are not just a way to enforce naming conventions in your code.
Best coding practices gives you a way to analyze your source code so that certain rules and patterns can be detected automatically and that the knowledge obtained through previous years of experience by industry experts is implemented in an appropriate way.
With the foregoing in mind, here is a some base step of what is needed for a project that successfully utilizes 'Best Coding Practices':
(RUP) and the eXtreme Programming
(XP) methods. Having a well-defined process is usually better than having none at all, and in many cases it is less important what process is used than how well it is executed. The methodologies above are very common and a quick Web search will turn up all kinds of information regarding how to implement them.
for your application is key. You have to know what you are building on before you can start a project. Check the architecture of the target. Read as much as you can about the ins and outs of the platform and note any pitfalls before you start your code. It will go a long way to heading off any bugs that might be 'show stoppers' later on.
and UML
come in. Do an internet search on UML and you'll find dozens of articles on using it.
. A best practice for building code involves daily builds and testing.
Best coding evolves from following proper coding standards and guidelines. Appropriate Comments for each and every line of code makes code maintainability much easier. A best code should have reusable components.
Best practice
A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
s for a given situation greatly reduces the probability of introducing errors into your applications
Application software
Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...
, regardless of which software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
model is being used to create that application.
There are standards that originated from the intensive study of industry experts who analyzed how bugs were generated when code was written and correlated these bugs to specific coding practices. They took these correlations between bugs and coding practices and came up with a set of rules that when used prevented coding errors from occurring. These standard practices offer incredible value to software development organizations because they are pre-packaged automated error prevention practices; they close the feedback loop between a bug and what must be done to prevent that bug from recurring.
In a team environment or group collaboration, best coding practices ensure the use of standards and uniform coding, reducing oversight errors and the time spent in code review. When work is outsourced to a third-party contractor
Independent contractor
An independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
, having a set of these best practices in place gives you the knowledge that the code produced by the contractor meets all the guidelines mandated by the client company.
It should be understood that these practices are not just a way to enforce naming conventions in your code.
Best coding practices gives you a way to analyze your source code so that certain rules and patterns can be detected automatically and that the knowledge obtained through previous years of experience by industry experts is implemented in an appropriate way.
With the foregoing in mind, here is a some base step of what is needed for a project that successfully utilizes 'Best Coding Practices':
Lifecycle
It is important to choose the appropriate development lifecycle for a given project because all other activities are derived from this process. A couple of examples of this are the Rational Unified ProcessRational Unified Process
The Rational Unified Process is an iterative software development process framework created by the Rational Software Corporation, a division of IBM since 2003...
(RUP) and the eXtreme Programming
Extreme Programming
Extreme programming is a software development methodology which is intended to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing customer requirements...
(XP) methods. Having a well-defined process is usually better than having none at all, and in many cases it is less important what process is used than how well it is executed. The methodologies above are very common and a quick Web search will turn up all kinds of information regarding how to implement them.
Requirements
Everyone needs to be on the same page before jumping into programming. This is a fundamental truth to almost any endeavor and even more so when accomplishing a group driven programming task. If you are programming alone, you may find yourself adding or tweaking your application. When you are looking at an enterprise piece of software, everyone involved in the project needs to understand clearly the requirements and goals of the project before moving forward. This is often referred to as Functional and Detailed Specifications.Architecture
Choosing the appropriate architectureSoftware architecture
The software architecture of a system is the set of structures needed to reason about the system, which comprise software elements, relations among them, and properties of both...
for your application is key. You have to know what you are building on before you can start a project. Check the architecture of the target. Read as much as you can about the ins and outs of the platform and note any pitfalls before you start your code. It will go a long way to heading off any bugs that might be 'show stoppers' later on.
Design
Even if you feel great about knowing the architecture of your target platform without a good design you are going to be sunk. Try not to fall into the trap though of over-designing the application. The two basic principles are to "Keep it Simple" and to utilize information hiding (Don't show the user more than they need to see). Often this is where object-oriented analysisObject-oriented analysis and design
Object-oriented analysis and design is a software engineering approach that models a system as a group of interacting objects. Each object represents some entity of interest in the system being modeled, and is characterised by its class, its state , and its behavior...
and UML
Unified Modeling Language
Unified Modeling Language is a standardized general-purpose modeling language in the field of object-oriented software engineering. The standard is managed, and was created, by the Object Management Group...
come in. Do an internet search on UML and you'll find dozens of articles on using it.
Code Building
Building the code is really just a small part of the total project effort even though it's what most people equate with the whole process since it's the most visible. Other pieces equally or even more important include what we have already gone over above namely requirements, architecture, analysis, design, and testingSoftware testing
Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...
. A best practice for building code involves daily builds and testing.
Best coding evolves from following proper coding standards and guidelines. Appropriate Comments for each and every line of code makes code maintainability much easier. A best code should have reusable components.
Testing
Testing is an integral part of software development that needs to be planned. It is also important that testing is done proactively; meaning that test cases are planned before coding starts, and test cases are developed while the application is being designed and coded.Deployment
Deployment is the final stage of releasing an application for users.See also
- Best practiceBest practiceA best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark...
- List of tools for static code analysis
- Motor Industry Software Reliability AssociationMotor Industry Software Reliability AssociationMotor Industry Software Reliability Association is an organization that produces guidelines for the software developed for electronic components used in Automotive Industry...
(MISRA) - Software AssuranceSoftware AssuranceSoftware assurance is defined as “the level of confidence that software is free from vulnerabilities, either intentionally designed into the software or accidentally inserted at anytime during its lifecycle, and that the software functions in the intended manner.”The main objective of software...