What is the best way to organize methods/functions within a file?

All else equal, how should files be ordered within a typical class/file?

Comments

[Thomas Werner]

Except for the following rough layout:

• Constants
• Variable members / fields
• Constructors
• Methods

I stopped worrying about rearranging and ordering by visibility, member name or getter / setter types, for the following reasons:

• Moving a method to its "correct" place can increase the likelihood for merge conflicts (when several people happen to work on the same file at the same time)

• IDEs can present the structure of a class or file in any way you like. You can sort by name, filter out private methods, just show fields etc.

• IDE code generators usually generate new method stubs right under the method you're working on. Even when those methods are private, I stopped moving them to the bottom of the class. I actually prefer them now being right under the public method that uses them. It makes the code much clearer and easier to follow to me.

• Mistakes happen. I want to worry less. I've been almost OCD for most of my life, and letting go of those things makes me happier 😁

[Zane Milakovic]

I typically avoid classes in JS.

I do put all functions in separate files unless they are really small and make sense together.

I group these files in folders that make sense for the category of work.

I always add a index file that exports the other methods.

[Fulton Browne]

There is 2 ways I do this: if the file performs one task I will call the primary function main and have supporting functions private and with logical names, if the file performs several task in the same general category I will give it a logical name and again, make supporting functions private with good name. in most cases I will try to do one class per file it just is better organized that way. as for variable I will just give a short name based on what they do and leave it at that, in java and similar languages I try to declare the variable at the top of the function or class, in Kotlin and languages that use a var/val like system they are declared as needed.

[Santosh Vaza]

• prefix all private/protected methods with underscore
• Class name should be singular
• General structure of a class should be (although it may vary from projects-projects)

Class {
static variables;
private variables;
protected variables;
public variables; // although real world apps should not expose public variables, keep them encapculated

ctor() {}

public method() {}
protected _method() {}
private _method() {}

}

[Kelly Stannard]

Personally, I tend to write classes of 40 lines or less so I usually just define the public methods up top and then define everything else as close to where it is used as possible.

If I need to write a bigger class I will probably switch to a standard ordering.

[Cristian Carvajal 👽]

I use:
-->Const, private variables, dependency's, Global variables
-->Constructor
-->Public Methods
-->Private Methods