WHAT ARE CODING CONVETIONS?

Coding conventions are a set of guidelines one or more programmers use to aid in the difficult task of writing consistent code with "good" style. No matter what particular task the code is supposed to accomplish, coding conventions are designed to help a programmer most easily and effectively translate the ideas in his head into whatever particular programming language he might be using. Coding conventions usually address such issues as: general code layout, naming of constants, variables, functions, etc., simulation of control and data structures not directly offered by the particular language being used, avoidance of dangerous coding practices which the given language does not restrict against, and work-arounds for design tool bugs.

WHY SHOULD THEY BE USED?

Just from reading the definition given above one can already begin to get a feel for some of the benefits of coding conventions; one really cannot even give a satisfactory definition of them without hinting at their great usefulness. It turns out that not only are coding conventions a great means for a programmer to practice abstraction (his best friend) and combat complexity (his worst enemy), they actually become an absolute necessity for projects containing a high level of complexity. Here are a few of the many benefits of coding conventions:

• Improved readability, a tool of abstraction which allows a programmer to turn his attention away from always trying to figure out exactly what his code is "saying" and instead concentrate on whether what he is "saying" will accomplish the goal he wants it to. Not only does this make the coding process easier, but it will open the door from him to help from his peers. Try showing code with poor readability to a friend (or TA) and ask for help and you can expect an answer like, "Uhh...maybe later...I’m pretty busy right now...", meaning there is no chance that the person is going to waste his time trying to understand your archaic code. On the other hand, if you go that extra mile to make your code easy to understand, you’ll suddenly find yourself surrounded by friends very willing to help you out; not only does it minimize the inconvenience for them, but it greatly increases the chance that they will even learn something from you which will help them in their own work.

• Coding becomes...dare we say it..."easy". Assuming you first write out your code in PDL (program design language: a mixture of English and control structures that is at a higher level of abstraction than any programming language), which you should always do, coding is really nothing more than translating your PDL into a language your compiler can understand. But this is exactly what code conventions do for you: they tell you exactly how to turn your thoughts into the programming language you’re working with, thus the coding process suddenly becomes a simple, mechanical process: a no-brainer.

• They explain how to overcome the inherent weaknesses of the particular language you are working with. If the language you’re working with does not support a particular control or data structure available in other languages, code conventions explain how to overcome this deficit by utilizing the structures which are available to simulate the ones which are not. In addition, if the language you are working in allows programming practices which you know are dangerous, code conventions can protect against those pitfalls from the project’s very outset and act like a safety net that saves you before you ever fall into danger.

• Once created, they stand as a resource for the lifetime of the language. If you ever forget what the exact syntax is for something or how to overcome an inherent weakness in the language you are using, the conventions stand as a ready resource so that time does not need to be wasted later on looking for answers you already spent the time to find when you first started using the language.

• They outline how to overcome design tool bugs. If you know your compiler consistently mistranslates or just flat-out crashes whenever it sees a particular piece of code, coding conventions can be used to outline a standard work-around so that the bug need not hinder your work.

• They make multiperson projects possible by homogenizing code. Everybody’s code looks the same and therefore makes it easy for anyone to understand and modify anyone else’s work. It also emphasizes the idea that all code written is public property rather than private, opening the code up to improvement without anyone becoming sensitive about criticism of "their" code.

• Once you are know a project’s coding conventions, you will already have a level a familiarity with it before even you see its code for the first time. This minimizes the overhead involved with beginning work on an existing project by making learning new code a much quicker and easier process.

• It makes maintenance possible. In the "real world", often large amounts of code will be maintained and updated by only a few people who were not members of the project’s creation team, hence it becomes an economic necessity for companies to have their code be very "learnable" and revisable.

• You will have to use them in the real world, so might as well get used to working with them now. As stated earlier, any medium to large-sized project is impossible without coding conventions, so it is almost certain that any programming you do after college will require that you use them; take the time now and learn how to make the most of them. Believe it or not, this skill is highly valued in the working world and will make you a greater asset to your future employer.