Call it sameness, conformity, or uniformity, consistency helps you write a reliable and maintainable piece of code that conforms to the highest standards. When reading a consistent code, others subconsciously form expectations about how the code works, which means that the code can easily be modified or evolved in the long run. As important as it is for programmers to be hard working individuals, they also need to incorporate consistency in their code in order to produce code that is easy to refactor, meta-program, automate, and test. Here’s how programmers can be consistent in their coding:
Choose A Style-Guide
An ideal piece of code looks like it was written by a single individual and not a hodgepodge of hands. Especially when you are working in a team, this comes down to conforming to a style guide that takes the likelihood of inconsistencies and discrepancies out of the equation. Coding style is extremely personal and each programmer has his own particular coding style. Things as simple as how and when to use comments, patterns used and avoided, the number of spaces used for indentation, naming of functions and variables, and the use of white spaces, determine your coding style. Sometimes you write if(var==2){ and sometimes if (var == 2){, or sometimes you include semi-colons at the end of statements and sometimes you don’t. The point is that an inconsistent code will still run, but code consistency is vital for readability, which improves maintainability, which in turn will come in handy when improving the code in the long run.
While some programmers believe that sticking to a style guide is a threat to individuality and expression, we strongly recommend that you refer to easily available style guides for major languages and frameworks so that your code stays consistent across all modules. Individuality doesn’t go very well with consistency. If you want to remain consistent as a programmer, a style guide is just what you need to hold your code to a standard.
Get Your Naming Right
In addition to cache invalidation, Programmers say that naming things is one of the toughest aspects of programming. Naming things appropriately not only imparts meaning to various functions, but also makes your code readily comprehensible for others, and even for yourself. Names are important since they offer context and tell people all that they need to know at a mere glance. Programmers should follow consistent naming practices to make their code intuitive, making sure to give similar names to things that are same and different names to things that are different so that their code always makes sense. Having diligently thought-out and consistently applied naming conventions help to keep your code consistent throughout. Without consistency in naming, it would be difficult even for you to discern the intent behind a function and you would never know what you are searching for. Most programming language have their own standard naming conventions, so it is even better if you stick to them.
Always Do Things the Same Way
Consistent programmers always have a single way of doing things, be it iterating over a collection, uploading images, adhering to naming conventions, and so on. They weight the benefits of each new approach against the inconsistencies it would introduce, and only then make the decision ever so diligently. By following this approach, you are able to incorporate consistency in your behavior and mechanisms. The consistency afforded by doing things the same way stops you from having to fix different bugs for the same function or apply the same changes to different places.
Plan Your Code
If you want to achieve consistency in coding, you need to plan out exactly what and how to do something before you launch into it. It never hurts to plan ahead when we talk about the world of programming. For instance, it may seem like a fixed menu should suffice for a website, but what if the menu needs to be responsive in the future? Diving into coding without a clear project map in mind will lead to burnouts and constant revisions. A consistent programmer figures out the procedure before writing a solution. A sufficient hard work can do wonders for you
Make Sure Everything Matches
A code is made up of thousands of lines, and even significantly tiny negative changes can eat away at your code from the inside. Small changes made to your code may not amount to much in isolation, but over time, you will find yourself looking in conundrum at how your code got so messed up. This is why we tell programmers not to let tiny inconsistencies accumulate to such a magnitude. Maintaining high coding standards from the beginning would help you avoid the pain in the long run. Start with the small stuff to keep your code maintainable. Make sure all file names reflect their context under all circumstances, choose a style guide, pick a naming convention, be mindful of whitespaces, and so on.
