Code Readability

Creator

Creator

Seonglae Cho

Created

Created

2021 Apr 29 4:38

Editor

Editor

Seonglae Cho

Edited

Edited

2025 Dec 16 18:51

Refs

Refs

Keeping related code together improves readability

The relationships between code depend on structural design, but consistency is crucial regardless of structure. For most domains performing the same operations, readable code is superior even if it results in minor performance degradation or longer code.

One tragedy of programming is that declarations must be made in the opposite order of execution, the reverse of dependency. And this problem is not solved by hoisting.

Code Readability

Code Readability Methods

Intuitive Code Structure

Code Readability Usages

Coding Convention

Comment Coding Style

Variable naming

Code is not literature

I have started code reading groups at the last two companies I’ve worked at, Etsy and Twitter, and some folks have asked for my advice about code reading and running code reading groups. Tl;dr: don’t start a code reading group. What you should start instead I’ll get to in a moment but first I need to explain how I arrived at my current opinion.

https://gigamonkeys.com/code-reading/

The Source of Readability

Readability is more objective than you'd think.

The Source of Readability

https://loup-vaillant.fr/articles/source-of-readability

Importantence

Clever Code Considered Harmful

As engineers, it can be really satisfying for us to implement clever, terse solutions to problems, relying on advanced tricks and techniques. As a result, we often write code that is hostile and inaccessible to the junior folks on our team. This article makes the case that we should strive to write simple, accessible code, using the dumb old primitives that everyone knows.

Clever Code Considered Harmful

https://www.joshwcomeau.com/career/clever-code-considered-harmful/

Clever Code Considered Harmful

Alien Artefacts

Alien Artefacts

https://www.brautaset.org/posts/alien-artefacts.html

Code is run more than read

Code is read more than written, code is run more than read. I think this line of thought can be extended beyond code-writing, and used as a rule of thumb to identify problems and make decisions.

https://olano.dev/2023-11-30-code-is-run-more-than-read/

Code is run more than read

Backlinks

Pipe Function AI Readability Imperative Programming Swift Keyword

Recommendations

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