Bro, let me be honest with you, I disagree with your points to some extent until someone answers the following:
First, you said comment makes your code longer and can be misleading. I don't see how it can be misleading if you're doing the proper thing in your code, but it helps a lot.
You add comments to your code knowing that it will help you and other developers a lot in the future so that you can remember what you did and what you were thinking then. Therefore, this should not bother you even if it makes your code longer.
This alone goes a long way in helping to enable you make updates to the code that will not break your project at all.
Now, there is one thing that majority of developers are not thinking 🤔 about. And the thing is, even if you use meaningful names instead, what if a function is doing one task before, let's say you created a function called "uploadExcelFile()" and after some weeks or months, you come back and add another task to the function, how do you update the name of the function to reflect its current behavior after you have used the name in so many files? Do you change the name.of the function to reflect the current update and also change the name in every file as well or you leave it like that when commenting is not an option? But if you leave the name of the function as it were before you updated the code, then the name will still be showing that the function has not been updated when in fact, it has been updated (because you cannot know the future name you will give a function until you write a code for it).
Would it not be better to also add extra comment on top of the function to explain the current update than changing the name of the function in every file that you have used it? Can someone answer that one? I guess you guys aren't thinking towards that direction 😂
I have heard someone talk like this on Quora before, and I'm sure you must have used some of the points from there too.
Yes for you. But some developers don't do that. They just leave the first name like that. What of in a case where the editor you use doesn't have the rename command? Can you do that conveniently with notepad++, vscode, atom, sublime text, etc?
You asked, whether it would not be better to add a comment. No, it would not. The function name is the information that shows up in code completion and is the first thing people see. If you can, you should make sure that it reflects what the function does.
You might still be forced by your tooling to add a comment instead, but that’s then a question of tooling not of what’s the right thing to do.
Also you may want to add a comment anyway, because the three-to-five words you use in a function name are often not capable of capturing the more subtle information you need when using the function. Look at the Javadoc of some of the Java Collections methods.
You could make the name much longer, but then it is polluting the code where it is being used with information you only needed when writing the code, but usually not while reading it, because there you can usually assume that the original author made the right choice.
(Sidenote: your argument would be much stronger, if you asked what to do for public API of libraries. There it is impossible to change the name of the function where it is used, because you don’t control those parts of the code).
No, I’m not contradicting myself. I’m telling you that you make a weaker argument than you could.
In my first message I answer your general claim (what would you rather do? If I can, I’ll refactor; depending on the IDE that can be as simple as a single keyboard shorcut). In my second answer I add the limitations and fine details that must be checked to take a good decision.
Don’t expect a simple yes/no answer when it comes to comments.
And my reply then was "Is it everybody that uses IDEs?" Most developers I Know use vscode and do they keep replacing the function name in every file they used them when they add new features to it? This is my main point. You can speak for yourself but don't try to speak for everybody. Because you can't.
And also, it's your choice whether you are a bro or not.
I won't reply you again. Because it seems you are proving obstinate.
I am a passionate software developer attempting to learn in public.
I love learning and sharing and will be grateful for every opportunity to learn and improve.
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And my reply then was "Is it everybody that uses IDEs?" Most developers I Know use vscode
VSCode has the features required to rename the function. Even vim has it if well configured.
If people choose to code with a dumb editor, they are not using adequate tooling to make good software.
And if you choose not to use the features of the editor then I can't argue that you will have to find hacks like generic function names and comments. But that code will not be as clean as it can.
I answered you “You might still be forced by your tooling to add a comment instead, but that’s then a question of tooling not of what’s the right thing to do.”
That’s for the ones without working rename tooling.
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Bro, let me be honest with you, I disagree with your points to some extent until someone answers the following:
First, you said comment makes your code longer and can be misleading. I don't see how it can be misleading if you're doing the proper thing in your code, but it helps a lot.
You add comments to your code knowing that it will help you and other developers a lot in the future so that you can remember what you did and what you were thinking then. Therefore, this should not bother you even if it makes your code longer.
This alone goes a long way in helping to enable you make updates to the code that will not break your project at all.
Now, there is one thing that majority of developers are not thinking 🤔 about. And the thing is, even if you use meaningful names instead, what if a function is doing one task before, let's say you created a function called "uploadExcelFile()" and after some weeks or months, you come back and add another task to the function, how do you update the name of the function to reflect its current behavior after you have used the name in so many files? Do you change the name.of the function to reflect the current update and also change the name in every file as well or you leave it like that when commenting is not an option? But if you leave the name of the function as it were before you updated the code, then the name will still be showing that the function has not been updated when in fact, it has been updated (because you cannot know the future name you will give a function until you write a code for it).
Would it not be better to also add extra comment on top of the function to explain the current update than changing the name of the function in every file that you have used it? Can someone answer that one? I guess you guys aren't thinking towards that direction 😂
I have heard someone talk like this on Quora before, and I'm sure you must have used some of the points from there too.
We use the rename-command to change the name automatically everywhere it is used.
Yes for you. But some developers don't do that. They just leave the first name like that. What of in a case where the editor you use doesn't have the rename command? Can you do that conveniently with notepad++, vscode, atom, sublime text, etc?
You asked, whether it would not be better to add a comment. No, it would not. The function name is the information that shows up in code completion and is the first thing people see. If you can, you should make sure that it reflects what the function does.
You might still be forced by your tooling to add a comment instead, but that’s then a question of tooling not of what’s the right thing to do.
Also you may want to add a comment anyway, because the three-to-five words you use in a function name are often not capable of capturing the more subtle information you need when using the function. Look at the Javadoc of some of the Java Collections methods.
You could make the name much longer, but then it is polluting the code where it is being used with information you only needed when writing the code, but usually not while reading it, because there you can usually assume that the original author made the right choice.
(Sidenote: your argument would be much stronger, if you asked what to do for public API of libraries. There it is impossible to change the name of the function where it is used, because you don’t control those parts of the code).
Read my comment very well. It seems you don't understand it. Plus, you're even contradicting yourself bro 🤔 .
No, I’m not contradicting myself. I’m telling you that you make a weaker argument than you could.
In my first message I answer your general claim (what would you rather do? If I can, I’ll refactor; depending on the IDE that can be as simple as a single keyboard shorcut). In my second answer I add the limitations and fine details that must be checked to take a good decision.
Don’t expect a simple yes/no answer when it comes to comments.
Also I’m not your bro.
And my reply then was "Is it everybody that uses IDEs?" Most developers I Know use vscode and do they keep replacing the function name in every file they used them when they add new features to it? This is my main point. You can speak for yourself but don't try to speak for everybody. Because you can't.
And also, it's your choice whether you are a bro or not.
I won't reply you again. Because it seems you are proving obstinate.
I agree with @arnebab
VSCode has the features required to rename the function. Even vim has it if well configured.
If people choose to code with a dumb editor, they are not using adequate tooling to make good software.
And if you choose not to use the features of the editor then I can't argue that you will have to find hacks like generic function names and comments. But that code will not be as clean as it can.
I answered you “You might still be forced by your tooling to add a comment instead, but that’s then a question of tooling not of what’s the right thing to do.”
That’s for the ones without working rename tooling.