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meaningful-names.md

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Use Intention-Revealing Names

The name of a variable, function, or class, should answer why it exists, what it does, and how it is used. If a name requires a comment, then the name does not reveal its intent.

int d; // elapsed time in days

The name d reveals nothing. Choose a name that specifies what is being measured and the unit of measurement:

int elapsedTimeInDays;
int daysSinceCreation;
int daysSinceModification;

What is the purpose of this code?

public List<int[]> getThem() {
    List<int[]> list1 = new ArrayList<int[]>();
    for (int[] x: theList)
        if(x[0] == 4)
            list1.add(x)
    return list1
}

The problem is the implicity of this code, we need to know the answers to question such as:

  1. What kinds of things are in the theList?
  2. What is the significance of the zeroth subscript of an item in theList?
  3. What is the significance of the value 4?
  4. How would I use the list being returned?

The answers to these questions are not present in the code sample, but they could have been.

public List<int[]> getFlaggedCells(){
    List<Cell> flaggedCells = new ArrayList<Cell>();
    for (Cell cell: gameBoard)
        if (cell.isFlagged())
            flaggedCells.add(cell)
    return flaggedCells
}

With these simple name changes, it's not difficult to understand what's going on. Notice that the simplicity of the code has not changed, but it has become much more explicit.

Avoid Disinformation

Avoid leaving false clues that obscure the meaning of code. Do not name a grouping of accounts as an accountList unless it is actually a list.

Do not use names which vary in small ways. How long does it take to spot the subtle difference between XYZControllerForEfficientHandlingOfStrings and XYZControllerForEfficientStorageOfStrings?

Avoid the use of lower-case L or uppercase O, they look entirely like the constants of one and zero, respectively:

int a = 1;
if (O == l)
    a = O1;
else
    l = O1;

Make Meaningful Distinctions

Do not just write code to satisfy a compiler or interpreter. If names must be different, then they would also mean something different. Number-series names are not disinformative, but they are noninformative, and provide no clue to the author's intention:

public static void copyChars(char a1[], char a2[])

Much better:

public static void copyChars(char source[], char destination[])

Noise words are another meaningless distinction:

Names Reason
Product, ProductInfo, ProductData No difference in meaning
int variable Avoid programming keywords
Name, NameString Do not add the data type if it is obvious
Customer, CustomerObject Which one will represent the best path to a customer's payment history?
getActiveAccount(), getActiveAccounts(), getActiveAccountInfo() Which function should I call?

Distinguish names in such a way that the reader knows what the differences offer.

Use Pronounceable Names

Programming is a social activity, you got to discuss your code with others -> so avoid using unpronounceable names at all costs:

class DtaRcrd102{
    private Date genymdhms;  // generation date, year, month, day, hour, minute, second
    private Date modymdhms;  // modification date, year, month, day, hour, minute, second
    ...
}

Compare:

class Customer{
    private Date generationTimestamp;
    private Date modificationTimestamp; 
    ...
}

Use Searchable Names

Single-letter names and numeric constants are not easy to locate across a body of text. If a variable or constant might be seen or used in multiple places in a body of code, it is imperative to give it a search-friendly name.
Compare:

for (int j=0; j<34; j++)
    s += (t[j]*4) / 5

to:

int realDaysPerIdealDay = 4;
const int WORK_DAYS_PER_WEEK = 5;
int sum = 0;
for (int j=0; j<NUMBER_OF_TASKS; j++){
    int realTaskDays = taskEstimate[j] * realDaysPerIdealDay;
    int realTaskWeeks = (realTaskDays / WORK_DAYS_PER_WEEK);
    sum += realTaskWeeks
}

Notice how much easier it will be to find WORK_DAYS_PER_WEEK than to find all the places where 5 was used.

Member Prefixes

You don't need to prefix member variables with m_ anymore:

public class Part{
    String m_dsc; // textual description
}

People quickly learn to ignore the prefixes to see the meaningful part of the name:

public class Part{
    String description; // textual description
}

Interfaces & Implementations

Avoid adding I to interface names: IShapeFactory -> ShapeFactory. You don't have to let users know that you're handing them an interface (where they can quickly find out that it is an interface in modern IDEs). Encode the implementation (not the interface): ShapeFactoryImpl or CShapeFactory.

Avoid Mental Mapping

Readers should not have to mentally translate your names into other names they already know. A single letter name (other than i,j,k for loops) is a poor choice. The difference between a smart programmer and a professional programmer is that the professional understands that clarity is king and write code that others can understand.

Class Names

Classes and objects should have noun or noun phrase names: Customer, WikiPage, Account. Avoid general words like Manager, Info, Data. A class name should not be a verb.

Method Names

Method names should have verb or verb phrase like postPayment, deletePage, save. Use the JavaBeans prefixes: set, is, get, add and remove for accessors, mutators and predicates:

string name = employee.getName();
customer.setName("mike");
if (paycheck.isPosted()) ...

When constructors are overloaded, consider enforcing static factory methods with names that describe the arguments:

Complex fulcrumPoint = new Complex(23.0); // bad code
Complex fulcrumPoint = Complex.FromRealNumber(23.0); // better

Don't Be Cute

Cute names are only memorable to those who share the same joke with you. Who knows what the function named HolyHandGrenade is supposed to do? Simply DeleteItems might be a better name. Do not use slangs: whack() -> kill(), do not tell culture dependent jokes: eatMyShorts() -> abort().

Pick One Word per Concept

Pick one word for one abstract concept and stick with it: fetch, retrieve, get. What's the essential difference between DeviceManager and ProtocolController? Why are both not controllers or managers? A consistent naming is a great time-saver to the programmers who must use your code.

Don't Pun

Do not overuse One Word per Concept. Suppose we're using add for methods that concatenate two items and make a new object. Now, we're writing a new class that puts an element into a collection. Should we call this add? Use names like insert or append.
Our goal is to make our code as easy as possible to understand, not an intense study.

Use Solution Domain Names

The people who read your code will be programmers, so use computer science terms, algorithm names, pattern names, math terms. HomePresenter is a great deal with someone who already knows the presenter pattern.

Use Problem Domain Names

When there is no solution domain name, use the problem specific names. At least, the reader who maintains your code can ask a domain expert what it means.

Add Meaningful Context

Enclose names in well-named classes, functions, or enums.

firstName, lastName, street, houseNumber, city, state, zipcode
...
if (state == "")    // Was the state part of an address I'm dealing with?
...

Better:

addrFirstName, addrLastName, addrStreet, addrHouseNumber, addrCity, addrState, addrZipcode
...
if (addrState == "")    // Cool, the state is part of an address I'm dealing with!
...

Consider creating Address class to provide more context.

Don't Add Gratuitous Context

In an imaginary application called Gas Station Deluxe, it is a bad idea to prefix every class with GSD. You type G and IDE shows a mile-long list of class names, why make it so hard for the IDE to help you? Add no more context to a name than is necessary.