What the #%$! is this!?

The code quality can be measured by the number of curse words said per minute. We can apply some clean code techniques to improve readability and reduce frustration.

November 7, 2024

6 min read163 views

Have you ever thought that we can measure the code quality by counting how many times we say "What the #%$! is this!?" per minute? This informal but revealing metric shows how frustrated we get with each confusing, disorganized, and patternless code line.

To reduce the number of curse words said per minute, we can apply some simple clean code techniques to improve code readability and make the maintenance process less painful.

• Use meaningful names

Don't worry about saving a few keystrokes. Having a long and meaningful name is better than a few characters without meaning.

// Bad
const ages = arr.map((i) => i.age);

// Good
const ages = users.map((user) => user.age);

• Comment only what's necessary

Good code is self-explanatory and often documents itself. It's worth writing a comment to clarify complex rules, warn about side effects, or explain parts of the code that aren't so simple. Don't leave unused or commented-out code, version control exists for this purpose and should be used in these cases!

// Bad: Checks if the date is valid
const isValidDate = (date) => {
  // ...
};

const isValidDate = (date) => {
  // Good: Checks for the DD-MM-YYYY pattern
  if (/^\d{1,2}\/\d{1,2}\/\d{4}$/.test(date)) {
    // ...
  }
  // ...
};

• Use named constants

Magic values don't convey their purpose. Named constants improve clarity, facilitate maintenance, and make the code self-documenting.

// Bad
// 10% discount
const discount = price * 0.1;

// Good
const TEN_PERCENT_DISCOUNT;
const discount = price * TEN_PERCENT_DISCOUNT;

In addition to these techniques, we can mention indentation and spacing, refactoring of very long functions, code organization with well-defined patterns, independent tests, and more.

If you've found yourself cursing while working, it may be time to reevaluate your practices. Writing quality code not only simplifies life for those who will maintain it in the future but also says a lot about the professional who wrote it.

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