CHAPTER 3 : General Principles

PART 1 : BASICS

CHAPTER 3 : General Principles

3.1 Keywords

3.2 Think of the reader

3.3 Keep it simple

3.4 Be explicit

3.5 Be consistent

3.6 Minimize scope

3.7 There's no one true style

3.8 A standard which isn't used, isn't a standard

3.9 Distinguish between standards and guidelines

3.10 Standards don't guarantee good coding

3.11 Decide on your portability quotient

3.12 Standards are a function of their audience

3.13 Keep project standards

3.14 Use standard libraries

3.15 Utilize available tools

3.16 Summary

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3.1 Keywords

A useful focus for a set of programming standards is to consider a set of keywords that can be included, as a reminder of the key principles that should be applied. Many of these words end in '-ability', and can even be referred to as the 'key abilities' of the standards. Some of these are described in chapter 1.

Here is a comprehensive (but probably not complete) set of 'key abilities'. You can add (or create!) your own words. A simple list selected from these can act as a useful and succinct reminder of the main aims of your standards, helping the programmer check that he is working at least within the spirit of the coding standards. Particularly if your standards are minimally prescriptive, then such a checklist is essential.

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