Code Quality in C#
The general excellence and features of a program’s source code, including both its internal organization and functioning, are referred to as code quality. Software evolution, maintainability, and long-term success all depend on it.
What Does Quality Programming Code Mean?
Two viewpoints can be used to assess a program’s quality:
External Quality: This is the quality that the user perceives. The main factors that determine it are the program’s usability, performance (speed, memory usage, resource utilization), and operational accuracy (lack of flaws).
Internal Quality: This is a measure of the program’s internal construction quality. The appropriateness and simplicity of the architecture and design, the readability and comprehensibility of the code, and the ease of adding new functionality or making modifications (maintainability) all play a role. The inner workings of the code are a major component of internal quality.
Why is Code Quality Important?
Writing good code is a fundamental ability that sets good programmers apart from bad ones. Maintainability is crucial since maintenance and changes after original development account for 70% of software expenditures over time. Low-quality code causes:
- Challenging to understand, adjust, and maintain.
- Debugging becomes more difficult due to the increased probability of errors and flaws.
- Decreased reusability due to the difficulty of extracting and reusing components that are poorly organized or closely connected.
- Larger teams experience slower progress since it is more difficult for members to comprehend each other’s code.
- Code that lacks convention is worse than inconsistent code, which makes it more risky and difficult to read.
On the other hand, software with high-quality code is more valuable and saves time and effort. Programmers benefit from increased confidence and productivity as a result of having less code to focus on at any given time.
You can also read Visual Studio In C# And How To Create, Run A C# Program
Characteristics of Quality Code
High-quality code has a number of essential traits:
Readability and Understandability: Its purpose is obvious, thus it is easy to read and comprehend and frequently needs few comments. In this, formatting is essential since it reflects the program’s logical structure.
Maintainability: It is simple and easy to maintain.
Robustness: It should have undergone extensive testing and be able to tolerate a range of inputs without malfunctioning or acting abnormally.
Suitable Design and Architecture: A suitable design should steer clear of over-engineering.
Strong Cohesion: The modules, classes, and methods that make up a program should all be closely related to one another and concentrate on effectively completing a particular task or problem.
Loose Coupling: Relying on well-defined interfaces, modules, classes, and methods should have minimal connections and be functionally independent.
Consistent Naming: Every program identifier, including variables, parameters, classes, and methods, should have a meaningful, consistent name in English.
Self-Documenting: The goal of the code should be naturally explained by its structure and nomenclature, negating the need for lengthy comments.
Flexibility and Stability: Sturdy and adaptable code permits modifications without impairing already-existing functionality.
You can also read C# Windows Application Development Environment & Structure
Practices for Achieving Code Quality
A variety of techniques lead to high-quality code:
Coding Conventions: A set of guidelines for naming, formatting, and logical composition of code that are applied consistently throughout a project or company. Microsoft offers a formal code standard for developers working with the.NET Framework.
Naming Identifiers:
- Classes, Interfaces, Structures, Enumerations: Use PascalCase instead of verbs (e.g., PrimeNumbersFinder).
- Namespaces: For example, Telerik.WinControls.GridView, use PascalCase.
- Methods: Provide a verb or verb + noun, begin with a capital letter (PascalCase), and explain the function (e.g., FindSmallestElement(), SendEmail()).
- Parameters: Employ camelCase (lowercase initial word, capitalised subsequent words), be descriptive, and include helpful information (e.g., fontSizeInPixels, firstName).
- Properties: Begin with a capital letter (PascalCase), but refrain from using a verb. Instead, use an adjective and noun or just a noun.
- Variables: Answer “What?” rather than “How?” (e.g., employeeSalary), use camelCase, be specific, and thoroughly explain the object they are holding. Variables ought to have a short lifespan.
- General: Always name and remark in English.
Code Formatting: Improves readability and gives code a logical structure by using new lines, tabs, and spaces.
- Indentation: One tab should appropriately indent code that is inside another piece of code.
- Curly Brackets: Control statements (if, else, loops), method bodies, and class bodies should always be enclosed in curly brackets {} and placed on separate lines.
- Empty Lines: Used to divide elements that don’t make sense together, like groups of related assertions or processes.
- Using Ctrl+K and Ctrl+F, Visual Studio can automatically format code.
High-Quality Classes and Methods:
- Encapsulation: Prevent direct access to data fields and conceal internal implementation details while ensuring validation in accessor methods (properties).
- Constructors: The constructor should initialise every class member in order to avoid hazardous uninitialised states.
- Methods: A single, clear, and distinct task should be carried out by each technique (strong coherence). They should either perform their duties or raise a suitable exception for incorrect input instead of giving an incorrect answer or causing unintended consequences.
- Defensive Programming: Use validation tests for all input data (user input, configuration files, and method parameters) to guard against unexpected errors and inaccurate data entering the code. Exceptions and assertions help achieve this.
- Refactoring to Reduce Nesting: To make deeply nested if statements easier to read and less difficult, they should be rewritten into smaller, more straightforward functions.
Code Documentation:
- Self-Documenting Code: By using proper structure and naming, the main objective is to develop code that is naturally clear and intelligible, reducing the need for comments.
- Effective Comments: In addition to being written alongside the code, comments should explain higher-level goals and provide clarification on any unclear facts. Bad code should not merely be commented out; it should be rewritten.
- XML Documentation Comments: C# supports special comments starting with
///and containing XML tags (e.g.,<summary>,<param>,<returns>). These are processed by the C# compiler into an XML file, displayed by IntelliSense, and can be used by tools like Sandcastle Help File Builder (SHFB) to generate MSDN-style documentation. GhostDoc can automatically add these comments, though they require manual editing for meaning.
Refactoring: Reorganizing source code without compromising its exterior functionality in order to enhance internal design and implementation quality. Among the refactoring procedures that Visual Studio offers are “Extract Method” (Ctrl+R, Ctrl+M), “Encapsulate Field” (Ctrl+R, Ctrl+F), and “Rename” (Ctrl+R, Ctrl+R).
Managing Complexity: A primary objective in software development is to lessen the mental strain on programmers. To do this, code decisions must be converted into clear rules by implementing best practices at all levels (classes, methods, names, error handling, and comments). By dividing complex issues into smaller, more manageable components, the “Divide and conquer” strategy is essential.
Writing Code Step by Step: Developers ought to write small, logically separate pieces of code, compile them, and thoroughly test them before going on to the next section, as opposed to developing big portions of code all at once. Error accumulation is decreased and early troubleshooting is aided by this method.
You can also read What Is Pointers And Unsafe Code In C# With Code Examples