A Cooks Coding Standard
20 Sep 2017ESLint
In an “Introduction to software engineering” class I have been introduced to coding standards, specifically eslint for javascript. I feel that most errors are trivial and that these standards are just another red tape blocking coders for unknown reasons. For instance array-bracket-spacing, the error that is concerned with spacing between a parenthesis and a bracket for objects or arrays. I believe that this entire process could be more effective if automated. Being that I have never used a coding standard I had developed my own personal habits which I have stuck with since I started.
Old Habits
From this shallow experience with ESLint, I have this impression that coding standards are similar to any other standard, but specifically in the culinary sense. When I first started cooking I didn’t really follow a recipe by the measurements; just as I would code based on examples I’ve seen in class. And being that each class would have a different teacher, my individual coding style would naturally evolve over time. I didn’t use any measuring cups or weight out ingredients on a food scale, rather I felt confident in just eye-balling amounts of both ingredients and time. The resulting product was satisfactory to say the least, just like with my code the food wasn’t the best it could be, but to me it accomplished its purpose; it was edible.
Readability
This is fine for home consumption, being that the chef must eat his own cooking, but to not hold up a standard for commercial consumption is just irresponsible. As I continued to learn about what coding standards are in place for; it only made sense to adopt a standard that your team would utilize. Especially in a gigantic tech company where there can be hundreds of other programmers and engineers that will at many occasions be sharing code. If these files are not served up with some rules to dictate what a reader should expect then it will be detrimental to any project. Let’s say a customer orders a steak and they enjoyed it so much that they glutinously order a second helping. If the steak isn’t up to the same standard then the customer will be severely dissatisfied.
All in all, as a student developer, I found in the past that my code could be a bit cumbersome to reread and understand, even though I was the one who wrote it. For this reason, to keep code readability high, I appreciate the purpose of coding standards greatly. Although It is not to say that I like them; with any habit, it takes a bit of grit to step out of your old habits to adopt a new one. And at this moment in time achieving a green check mark from eslint is just another frustration to bear.