dorothy
November 18, 2022, 6:35pm
1
Improve one name today. Any name.
It can be a class name, a method name, a variable name, a constant name, a file name, anything.
If you just thought of a name you know needs improving, do that one.
If you can’t find a name that could be improved, consider these questions:
Do you ever refer to the same concept slightly differently in different spots?
Have you noticed anywhere where a previous rename missed a few references?
Pop open your schema. Are your database columns named consistently? (This is just a special case of the first one.)
Is the name you’d use to describe a concept to a coworker the same as what’s in the code?
Is the name your customers would use the same as what’s in the code?
Went through a couple areas of my project and re-named some variables. Nothing really unclear, mostly just inconsistent - using “IsXYZ” for bools, stuff like that.
1 Like
I improved one name that was basically a lie, not just a suboptimal name.
2 Likes
If you aren’t familiar with it yet, I recommend Arlo’s series on naming: https://www.digdeeproots.com/articles/naming-as-a-process/
The key ideas are:
You don’t have to find the perfect name right away (you can’t)
An obviously nonsensical name helps you warm up
An obviously nonsensical name is better than a misleading one!
It’s easy to get to an honest name, even if incomplete
It’s fine to stop at any step (see these as ratchets)
1 Like