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Let your code speak for itself, but when necessary, use words.
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The method we just wrote
was fairly complicated.
0:00
We have multiple for
each loops nested inside of a while loop.
0:03
Multiple ifs and
multiple return statements.
0:06
We've tried to make this code
as self documenting as possible
0:10
by naming things appropriately but
sometimes it's best to
0:14
put in a few comments that describe
in English, what's happening and why.
0:17
Comments are a two-edged sword, though.
0:22
When they're accurate, they can help
make it clear what's happening.
0:24
On the other hand, if we were to
change something about this code and
0:28
forget to update the comment
to reflect the changes,
0:31
then the comments would no
longer be accurate, and
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that can cause more confusion than
if there were no comments at all.
0:37
You may have heard the phrase,
only when necessary use words.
0:41
It means, let your actions speak for
themselves.
0:45
In the case of code,
we should try to let our code speak for
0:48
itself as much as possible.
0:51
This means writing self-documenting code
that doesn't require a lot of comments.
0:53
However, we need to look at
our code from the perspective
0:59
of someone who is not
involved in writing it.
1:01
Can they read this code and
understand what's happening?
1:04
If not, maybe we should add
a few clarifying comments.
1:07
Comments aren't just for
those who aren't familiar with the code.
1:12
I can't tell you how many times I've had
to work with code that I wrote months or
1:15
years earlier.
1:20
A few well placed comments act
as cues to help me remember
1:21
what I was thinking when I wrote the code
and remind me why I wrote it that way.
1:25
Writing descriptive, clear code,
and comments is an art.
1:30
As with all art forms there are some
best practices and some tips and
1:35
tricks that can be learned.
1:39
In the end,
it comes down to your own creativity and
1:41
intuition about what's going to help the
reader, even if that reader is yourself.
1:44
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