The Elements of Programming Style: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:38, 22 June 2021

Revision as of 02:00, 15 August 2021

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==Lessons==

Its lessons are summarized at the end of each section in [[Aphorism|pithy maxims]], such as "Let the machine do the dirty work":

# Write clearly —– don't be too clever.

# Say what you mean, simply and directly.

# Use library functions whenever feasible.

# Avoid too many temporary variables.

# Write clearly —– don't sacrifice clarity for efficiency.

# Let the machine do the dirty work.

# Replace repetitive expressions by calls to common functions.

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# Modularize. Use procedures and functions.

# Avoid gotos completely if you can keep the program readable.

# Don't patch bad code —– rewrite it.

# Write and test a big program in small pieces.

# Use recursive procedures for recursively-defined data structures.

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# Make sure special cases are truly special.

# Keep it simple to make it faster.

# Don't diddle code to make it faster —– find a better algorithm.

# Instrument your programs. Measure before making efficiency changes.

# Make sure comments and code agree.

# Don't just echo the code with comments —– make every comment count.

# Don't comment bad code —– rewrite it.

# Use variable names that mean something.

# Use statement labels that mean something.

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==External links==

*[http://www.softwarequotes.com/showquotes.aspx?id=574&name=P. J. Plauger selected quotes from ''The Elements of Programming Style'']

*{{YouTube|id=8SUkrR7ZfTA|title=Elements of Programming Style -– 2009 Brian Kernighan talk at Princeton}}

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