Java with Style

[Walter Mitty]

I did a search, and came up with this article by Thornton Rose.

For background, I once read a book entitled Pascal with Style and it taught me a lot of useful stuff about writing better code in Pascal.

I'm interested in your reactions to Thornton's comments.  Do you agree with with him that good style is of value in source code?  Do you agree with his recommendations regarding style?  Is there a more compreghensive style guide somewhere?

[Richardk]

It goes without saying that good style in source code is useful. Briefly skimming his recommendations, they seem as good as any plus he states if you don't like one style then pick another. His examples and suggestions are classic programming 101 but I've also noticed many shops have their own style requirements. So in the end it comes down to do something that makes the code readable and be consistent.

[Peter Gibbons]

I believe style is very important.

However the style that the author is using seens too old fashioned to me:

// Increment the counter value
-- empty line? --
counter = counter + 1;

Give me a break.

He is also not taking any real stand on the tabs vs spaces issue.

Religious issue ... Blah, blah.

USE ONLY SPACES.

Everybody opening the file will see the exact same formatting.

His code is still better than the "bad style" examples he shows.

I also like how he is naming the variables with nice descriptive names.

You wanted to see "Java with Style"?

Check this site:

http://scala-lang.org



Not only is everything an object (like in Smalltalk) but you will recognize some functional aspects that came from Lisp.

( You used to be a Lisp user IIRC ? )

[I D Shukhov]

I can't bring myself to exceed 80 characters on a line -- the standard terminal window size. 

Is this being a slave to custom -- or a bad habit?  Just because I'm used to seeing code that way doesn't mean that it makes sense.

Monitors are much bigger than virtual terminal windows and it's a lot clearer, and therefore easier to understand the code, to see the whole line than to continue it.

[Walter Mitty]

Useful feedback so far.  Thanks folks.

Yeah x = x + 1 is archaic style.  Much as it appeals to the FORTAN luddite lurking in me, it has to be called bad style.

I also regards comments such as "increment the counter" as bad style, regardless of the format.  The code should tell a story.  The comments should clarify the story when the code doesn't make it clear.  People who read code should know when the counter is being incremented. 

This is like the warning in the instruction manual for a TV sets that alerts me to the danger of sticking my fingers into a live outlet.  It just makes me less likely to read on.