Formatting Saves Codes
20 Sep 2018I didn’t learn about how important formatting was in code until about a semester ago in ICS212. When it came to big homework and projects, it became obvious how much coding format affects the coder. Small things like “double space”, instead of “tab” because a tab could mean different numbers of column in different environments, however, a space will always be one index.
In coding, there’s a lot more formatting than I would have thought, if I based the formatting off of my own way, it would have looked like a mess. But good thing there are specific code formats to follow by. Another example would be the placement of curlyly brackets, “ { “. This could be helpful because you could catch yourself on your own mistakes if there are curly brackets that are missing in your code or your functions. If I were to pick which is the most important coding format to have in mind when learning how to code; I would choose the correct placements of curly brackets because it will save you a lot of time if you’re trying to figure out how to fix your code.
Coding Formats
Regardless how small the error is; it is better to fix it so it becomes a habit for you later on in your coding career. You probably wouldn’t want to look at someone’s code that you’re collaborating with and be like “ What in the world am I looking at.” If you don’t want that, why would you want to confuse someone else with your code. Make it a habit, make sure you code in the correct format. I’ve lost points over bad code formatting before, and I learned from my mistake. The mistake I made was using tab instead of double space, and let me tell you, it cost me a LOT of points. So either if you’re new or have been coding for a while. Don’t make the same mistake as me. Start by learning the right way so you won’t develop bad habits later on.