With the invention of computers, it was necessary for engineers to comprehend the computer mechanism in order to persist in advancement. To fathom computers, a comprehension of their language was mandatory. As of consequence, initially it was hard-hitting endeavor to develop complex applications. So, the developers opted for a gradual approach and moved step-by-step to jump from basic to complex programs.
Programming, the practice of coding to dictate computers to perform several actions is the sole way of communicating with the computers. There are many programming languages, ranging from low-level assembly languages to high-level languages such as Python. High-level languages are user-friendly and easy-to-understand while low-level languages are hard to understand for humans.
Writing programming languages i.e. coding, enables programmers to create programs and applications. On the spectrum of coding lines, the upper bound lies on that of Google’s, which has up to two billion lines of code while the lower bound can even be less than a dozen.
With progression in the computer world, more challenging problems emerge and highly-sophisticated programs are required to encounter them. These require hundreds of thousands of lines of code and code synchronization always remains an issue. This article provides solution to this barricade and helps to write succinct code. Here are some tips:
1. Use of Comments
Using comments is an effective way to organise code and make it understandable. Comments allow users to add explanatory sub-headings to their code in order to maintain track of its purpose. This helps break the code into function-based sections with connected and subsequent lines put together. Every language has its own unique way of writing a comment e.g. Python uses a hash to indicate comment while a single quote is used in Visual Basic.
2. Increased Line Spacing
For those who are new to programming, it is difficult to deal with compact and congested code. So, increasing white space amid lines is a healthy technique. This would split lines and make them more readable.
3. Avoid Hard-coded Values
While programming, it’s a good practice to use variables instead of hard coded values. This would activate smooth usage of the same value at different places. E.g. if a value is too long and occupies multiple lines and is chanced to be frequent, it is sensible to assign it to a variable and use the variable instead. Also use upper-cases for consistent and non-changing variables and lower-cases for the other to confirm organization.
4. Always Go for the Shorter Alternatives
Each program has an alternative way of being written, so go for the shorter alternative. This would make the code succinct, comprehendible and save you bits. Sometimes, extended methods are easier to pick and code. In such cases, they are preferred.
5. Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
The best way to organize code is to practice Object Oriented Programming. This procedure is an awesome option at lower levels, but becomes a must at higher levels. This uses a systematic phenomenon involving functions, methods and classes, with descending rank, where classes are on top with the two subsequent. In OOP, objects i.e. program contents, are coded separately with each having its own class, and are only called in the main to make the program functional. This makes it extremely handy to handle each object. And in this way, the code is in its most coordinated form. For example, in a game, including two pedals and a ball, it is wiser to code each game object separately through OOP than to write a jumbled-up code in the main.
Following these tips would make your code more readable and harmonized and help you to avoid minute loopholes which often prove to be a catastrophe.