The latest articles on DEV Community by Tim Trautman (@timtrautman). https://dev.to/timtrautman https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F111961%2F0892b632-cefd-4a5c-bc26-df2a3327ee60.png https://dev.to/timtrautman en Tim Trautman Mon, 04 Nov 2019 21:56:09 +0000 https://dev.to/timtrautman/what-is-readable-code-3la2 https://dev.to/timtrautman/what-is-readable-code-3la2 <p>What makes some code readable and some not?</p> <p>I recently found myself trying to explain this to a new programmer and the question has stuck with me.</p> <p>Here's my answer: readable code presents a solution as clearly as possible to <b><em>other programmers</em></b> by:</p> <ol> <li>Demonstrating clear intent</li> <li>Not being longer than it needs to be</li> <li>Keeping variables and logic "close" to where they're used</li> </ol> <p>But when I think about when I've used the term "readability," though, I've often make assumptions about <b><em>who</em></b> code readable to. I'd imagine that beginners to programming, beginners to a new language, and perhaps even experienced programmers without context in a particular domain might find perfectly "readable" code still difficult to understand.</p> <p>What do you think makes code readable? And how do you think about <b><em>who</em></b> your code is readable to?</p> discuss webdev beginners