Wiki source code of Expressive Names
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| author | version | line-number | content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Names should be chosen as carefully as the name of your first-born child. It should be obvious from reading the code how it works. | ||
| 2 | |||
| 3 | * **Choose names that are descriptive of the purpose.** For example, a variables name should stand for one concept. Its better to have a variable `unorderedNumbers`, which is sorted and stored in `orderedNumbers` instead of saving both lists in the same variable `numbers`. | ||
| 4 | * **Avoid misinformation.** For example, ambiguities, confusion with similar names or easily confused characters (l and 1, O and 0). | ||
| 5 | * Make differences clear. Avoid very similar expressions and blank words are redundant (a, an, the, info, data). | ||
| 6 | * **Use pronounceable names.** Programming is a social activity that people talk about with others. | ||
| 7 | * **Use searchable names.** Searchable means avoiding search conflicts with other similar or even identical names. The length of a name should match the size of its scope. For local counting loops, one letter is sufficient; if the variable is used in several places in the code, it needs a longer name. | ||
| 8 | * **Avoid encodings.** There should be no references to the scope or type of the variable in the name. | ||
| 9 | * **Avoid mental mappings.** The name of a variable should not require mental effort to understand. For example, unusual abbreviations should be avoided. | ||
| 10 | * Names of classes consist of nouns or substantivistic expressions. | ||
| 11 | * Method names | ||
| 12 | * They consist of a verb or an expression with a verb. Accessors, mutators, and predicates should be named after their value and follow the JavaBean standard (prefixes: get, set, is, has). | ||
| 13 | * Overloaded constructors can lead to confusion, e.g. if one constructor accepts a float argument and and another one an int argument. Overloaded constructors should be declared as private and functions should be used to create instances whose names highlight the difference. | ||
| 14 | * No puns or humorous names. | ||
| 15 | * Choose one word for each concept. For example, if you use the word "fetch" once for a particular concept, you should consistently use "fetch" instead of synonyms such as "retrieve". | ||
| 16 | * Avoid ambiguities as in the word "add" (addition or adding). | ||
| 17 | * | ||
| 18 | |||
| 19 | Domain-specific terms | ||
| 20 | * Use terms from the solution domain. Programmers will be reading your code, so use technical language. | ||
| 21 | * Use terms from the problem domain. If there are no computer science terms, at least domain experts can refer to them. | ||
| 22 | * Add meaningful context. Together with the names of other variables and methods, this context can be created. | ||
| 23 | * Do not add superfluous context. Shorter names are better than longer ones, as long as they are clear. | ||
| 24 | * Dare to rename things. Your colleagues should be grateful for improvements. |