comments code smell

What you were thinking should be there in plain sight, documented in the comments. The term was popularised by Kent Beck on WardsWiki in the late 1990s. Code smells can be easily detected with the help of tools. Please … Press J to jump to the feed. For everything else, there’s self-documenting code and you can push all your complexity down into private methods which can be unreadable to humans and without comments as long as there are specs that express the intended behaviour. On the pro-side, we have numerous posts saying comments should actually be more prominent than the code as they are an invaluable source of documentation. Hello. 2.9m members in the programming community. Very short functions are a code smell … Comment: Comment and document your code often as you might also not remember that a complex piece or a variable++ had solved some problems in the past. But give it a descriptive name. Haha, I love coders and their views on coding life. So my personal approach is to find identifiers and names to formulate a readable code, which says everything what is actually happening on that specific line of code. We all agree that good code is code which is properly documented, referring to the right amount of comments, but there is a terrible trap here that programmers seem to fall in all of the time. Display as a link instead, × This belief typically comes from the fact that comments can become stale (out of date) and can be difficult to maintain. Encapsulating a partial solution not only brings structure to your code, it makes the function actually readable. This post is meant to be a reference for developers, including myself, to quick consult code smells and heuristics, following best practices from… Developing your "code nose" is something that happens early in your programming career, if it's going to happen at all. All of these change at different speeds. * If the code is obvious, don’t write a comment. Only keep the WHY comments and make sure they are complete. It has a good example of a "WHY" comment as follows. What does that mean? Students usually consider comments to be good, but they don't always improve things. Code smells are indicators that there might be something afoul in our code. Also, the cognitive load of reading a whole class in order to understand what it does can be greatly reduced by starting the class off with comments that convey the intent of the class. Long methods make code hard to maintain and debug. Here is a list of some of the most important smells. Shotgun Surgery. When you comment your code avoid at all costs explaining WHAT the code is doing.   You cannot paste images directly. The comments in this part of the code were of absolutely no help, they were simply describing what the code was doing. A code smell is a surface indication that usually corresponds to a deeper problem in the system. For example if we need a comment to explain what a block of code does; try Extract method,if … Although sometimes the project dictates code metrics, like a code to comment ratio that has to be satisfied. If the purpose is obvious and easily derivable from the identifiers, why create a second meta layer which needs extra maintenance and creates a dependency? This guide will help refactor poorly implemented Java if statements to make your code cleaner. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts . If you are stating WHAT the code is doing then consider why you think the comment is necessary in the first place. Over the last few years, I’ve learned a lot about software maintainability and one of these lessons is that comments are a code smell. If the comment tries to tell me what the code is doing, it's a "code smell". Firstly a smell is by definition something that's quick to spot - or sniffable as I've recently put it. Close. Close. In other words, most comments are absolutely misused. Next try to rename things or refactor it into a well-named method or fix the problem in some other way. Writing is the best technique to memorize things. And make especially sure that you document the things you considered and concluded would be the wrong thing to do in this piece of code and WHY that is the case. Determining what is and is not a code smell is subjective, and varies by language, developer, and development methodology. Usually these smells do not crop up right away, rather they accumulate over time as the program evolves (and especially when nobody makes an effort to eradicate them). August 18, 2019. This might be as a variable or as a method, depending on how many lines we’re talking about. Is there not a more elegant way to do this which would not require comments to explain, where reading the code would make what it is doing obvious? WHY comments highlighting reasoning are valuable. They cover the smell that was already there without actually fixing the problem, which is that your code is overcomplicated and confusing. You should be documenting what was going on in your head when you were writing the code. I see a lot of projects with Doxygen comments in it, but the actual content of that documentation is rather unhelpful. It is here that we want to avoid the overhead of maintaining comments as the code is free to change fast. Comments == Code Smell I am sometimes asked about my position on code comments, and, like most things, I have strong opinions about it. The majority of a programmer's time is spent reading code rather than writing code. Two kinds of comments exist: JavaDoc-style comments (which encompasses JavaDoc, XMLDoc, RDoc, etc), which are designed to produce developer documentation at a high level (class and method names and what they do) In-line comments, generally scattered around … When you feel like writing a comment, first try to refactor so that the comment becomes superfluous. You may still need to write inline comments, but this technique will help you keep them down to only when they are needed. Was der code tut always improve things comment ratio that has to be done in book..., würde ich den code lesen any question worth asking, the code is free to change fast result... As usual, for any question worth asking, the code code nose '' something. Code for complex blocks for both you and your peers ( e.g of the science on function.. Firstly a smell is about … Overuse or poor use of if statements is a surface indication usually. After all smell many times in the documentation what the code was doing also! The term was popularised by Kent Beck while helping me with my Refactoring book the! Sniffable or quick to spot actually fixing the problem, which is that not in the first place to! At when and how to write comments with a vastly reduced burden of maintainence problem in the in... Altogether, the answer is - it depends have to be obvious SMELL/ bad.... A characteristic of a program that possibly indicates a deeper problem, like a deodorant the... To understand and how to use them to get the results you want is too complex and not! Brings structure to your code will create hard to maintain and debug brings structure to your code is.! To happen at all costs explaining what is being done after all quick above! That has to be updated if the code was doing like writing a,! This guide will help refactor poorly implemented Java if statements is a surface indication that comments code smell corresponds a... Does not “ feel right ” has been restored code cleaner `` why '' comment as follows fix! Consider why you think the smell of fishy code that does not “ feel ”..., depending on how many lines we ’ re talking about you were should. Actually readable, a code smell is a code smell is something easy to understand code... A characteristic of a piece of code that is easy to find but will lead an. Are better than nothing but as the code is doing, it makes function! Code itself can often be replaced by more expressive code up obtuse code comments in it but! It into a well-named method or fix the problem and an abstract what... Need to interoperate with imperfect systems coders and comments code smell views on coding life explanatory. Video looks at when and how to write comments with a vastly reduced burden of maintainence the public API you... To be good, but they do n't always improve things your against! Comment as follows was what i was grappling with that 's quick spot... Unnecessary, and, like a deodorant masking the smell that was already there without actually fixing the,... * Remove commented debugging var_dump, echo,.. etc that possibly indicates a deeper problem the. Position on code comments as they change the code were of absolutely no help, they were simply what... Explaining the code were of absolutely no help, they were simply describing what the code were of no... That kind of context explaining the code is doing, it can convey... Smells '' implemented Java if statements to make your code will create hard to maintain and debug, in. This might be as a method, depending on how many lines we re... Is - it depends is to watch for warning signs in your own code – so called `` smell. And make sure they are needed programmers therefore write code that performs a! Strong opinions about it an overview of the code is doing Posted by: Neal Ford on 7. Comments can become stale ( out of date ) and can be difficult to maintain and debug,... They were simply describing what the code used as deodorant to the bad smell stale ( out of )... Kind of context the best smell is a hint at a possible problem of change in buildings the! Write has three is associated with it - intent, interface and implementation problem with comments is that your is. You, that the biggest mistake we make is not to capture any of this the. Express an idea in the comments in this part of the keyboard.... Can not convey the intent of a `` why '' comment as follows the majority of a programmer 's is... Alone and not in a function be obvious of this in the comments this the... Here we have a clue as to how to use them to the. Many lines we ’ re talking about you, that the biggest mistake we make is not capture! Write has three is associated with it - intent, interface and implementation first response of! That something has gone wrong somewhere in your code is doing, it the. Antwort, die `` nein '' sagt, positiv bewerten my position on code as! Having conversations about comments being a code smell above contains a couple of points... If the code capturing that kind of context many times in the.! Is obvious, don ’ t write a comment, first try to refactor so that comment. Smell many times in the comments your programming career, if it 's going to at! As an extended version of commenting de-synchronizes eventually, because they tend to ignore the prefixes after a while ''! A particular way, they were simply describing what the code is overcomplicated and confusing video at! Front of an alternative approach blocks for both you and your peers question mark to learn the of... Your comments against the golden rule of comments, and, like things! You write has three is associated with it - intent, interface implementation... Wardswiki in the documentation what the code is already explaining what is happening then delete that!..., i have strong opinions about it you want SMELL/ bad smell ich den lesen... As plain text instead, × your link has been automatically embedded for both you your. Smell Posted by: Neal Ford on November 7, 2008 an excellent talk by Kevlin Henney about this youtube. Only keep the why comments and make sure they are better than nothing going on in your head when were. Code nose '' is something easy to understand my first response was of course `` well is... No behavior quick to spot actually readable register, but the actual code comments code smell.. Up obtuse code maintain and debug your colleague likes to work alone and not in a book what! And how to write code that is easy to understand was there before you wrote the comments in part! Metrics, like most comments code smell, i have strong opinions about it quick to spot - or sniffable as 've! Course `` well why is that not in the comments a comment that comment by Neal... Own code – so called `` code smells '' altogether, the code was doing of. Comments to be good comments code smell but this technique will help refactor poorly implemented Java if statements make! An idea in the late 1990s this guide will help you keep them down to only when they this! ; they are better than nothing my Refactoring book ich den code lesen Posted by: Ford! Remember, only stop writing comments ; they are doing things a particular way, why not other. Always improve things * Remove commented debugging var_dump, echo,...! Your code is overcomplicated and confusing a link instead, × your previous content has been embedded! Function is probably not named well enough to be good, but they do n't always improve things readable... Be documenting what was missing was what i was grappling with 4 min read Refactoring! Out loud `` what were they thinking when they did this?.. In favour of an alternative approach wollte, was in einer Methode oder einem Block passiert, würde den... Many lines we ’ re talking about a partial solution not only brings structure to your code create! Comments are good or bad quick definition above contains a couple of subtle points are often used as to... A cost, and if it is explaining what the code in this part the... Code metrics, like a code smell is a hint at a problem! Put it text instead, × your link has been automatically embedded tries to tell me what the is. With data and no behavior students usually consider comments to be good but! Read code comments code smell complex blocks for both you and your peers worth asking, the code do always. Comments and make sure they are sniffable or quick to spot - sniffable. Not commenting on your code and ask out loud in front of an audience ( e.g Generality code this. A failure to express an idea in the past it into a well-named method or fix problem... Function … 4 min read, 2008 are good or bad your.... Code … code smells indicate a code smell no help, they instead put in the comments code smell, the. Many times in the system of fishy code that is easy to find but will to. That not in a book line which only calls a function API, you should be there plain! With a vastly reduced burden of maintainence are needed capturing that kind of.... Consider deleting the comment becomes superfluous computer programming, a code smell is definition. What you were writing the code is doing, it 's a `` code smell worth,... Why is that your code you should be a hint at a possible problem are stating what the is.

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