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[MUSIC]

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Hi, my name is Megan, and
I'm a teacher at Treehouse.

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When it comes to laying out your code,
there are a lot of pitfalls

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a developer can fall into,
especially when new to programming.

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Repeating code,
code that is disorganized or

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hard to follow, and
over complicating are a few examples.

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It's important to keep in mind
how your code is structured.

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Both the overall file
structure of your project, and

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the code inside of each file too.

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Keeping this in mind will make your code
easier to read and easier to maintain.

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To help you avoid these pitfalls and
improve your coding skills,

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I'm gonna walk you through a few
of my favorite strategies.

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They are narrative flow,
iterative coding, KISS, and DRY.

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Narrative flow involves writing your
code as if someone were reading

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a story of how the program will work.

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Iterative coding is a process where you
code a small piece of your project,

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then test it, then code the next piece and
test it, and so on, and so forth.

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KISS or keep it simple silly,

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is a popular acronym to remember
that simple is usually better.

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And lastly, DRY, or don't repeat
yourself is another popular acronym,

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reminding you to keep your code
free of repeats whenever possible.

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We're going to dive into each
of these strategies in more

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detail throughout this workshop.

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All of these methods can be
implemented while you're coding.

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Doing the hard work up front will save
you a bunch of time in the long run.

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You can also implement these
strategies on a completed project.

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This is called refactoring.

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[SOUND] Refactoring is the process
by which you improve existing code.

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This is a great way to
review your past work.

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Make sure it's updated to any new
standards or language updates,

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add any new features, or
practice new skills you've learned.

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Let's get into it.