This is the second article in a series about writing code for my co-workers. Here is part one.
Clarity
In order to be understood with the least possible effort, my code needs to be as clear as possible. I want to make the code so simple that is is boring to read.
Braces
For instance, this is why I always use braces, even if a statement is a single line, like so:
// good
if (foobar) {
DoSomething();
} else {
DoSomethingElse();
}
// bad
if (foobar)
DoSomething();
// worse
if (foobar) DoSomething();
Ternary operator
I also try to avoid the ternary, or conditional operator ?:, except in most simple cases. There is just too much stuff happening on a single line when you use it:
// bad
foo = !bar ? (baz + 13) : (baz / 42);
// good
if (!bar) {
foo = baz + 13;
} else {
foo = baz / 42;
}
// better
if (bar == false) {
foo = baz + 13;
} else {
foo = baz / 42;
}
!
Note that I also prefer to use == false instead of !. Again, clarity is the reason.
Assignment in conditionals
Finally, I try to avoid assignments in conditionals. Instead, I split it into two statements:
// bad
while ((line = inputReader.readLine()) != null) {
System.out.println(line);
}
// good
while (line != null) {
System.out.println(line);
line = inputReader.readLine();
}