4 ms·

While that's definitely better than single letter variables everywhere, I still think an explicit variable name is better. In general, I follow a rule of "If I

by ysavir 7y ago

While that's definitely better than single letter variables everywhere, I still think an explicit variable name is better. In general, I follow a rule of "If I can't search the file for this variable and find it easily, it's a bad name".

Silhouette 7y ago
Isn't this the standard argument for making names more specific as the scope where they are visible gets larger? Something only used within a short function, so it only ever appears within a few lines of where it's defined, can probably be very short or even a single letter, and that conciseness can be beneficial. Something used elsewhere in a file should probably have a more descriptive name, so it can be easily distinguished and located. Something exported from a module and used elsewhere in the program should probably have both the more descriptive element and then, one way or another, some further way to identify that it's the version from that particular module that is being used.
- ysavir 7y ago
  I get what the argument is saying, but there might still be times where I want to find every mention of a variable within a 3-line block. If that variable is a single letter, and possibly a letter that's used 10-20 times in the code in that block, I would consider that block confusing. Ultimately, I don't think there's any hard rule or standard, just an evaluation of how easy it is to understand the code. Sometimes a single-letter variable will be fine, sometimes not. But I'd bet a 4-letter variable will always lead to code that is easier to understand.
  - karmakaze 7y ago
    What if the references are all [i] or [i + 1]?
    - Red_Leaves_Flyy 7y ago
      Put a comment block at eof defining them and their usage. Use these variables in such a way that ctrl,f replace all with a descriptive name doesn't break anything except the line count and pretty print. If you want to get really clever, write a script that automatically renames everything and reflows the file on commit. Damn it. Now I need to make this...
bjpbakker 7y ago
> "If I can't search the file for this variable and find it easily, it's a bad name" Like parent mentions, this is about scoping. My rule about short variables is that I have to see their _full_ use (including declaration) in only a few lines on the screen. Personally I prefer single letter variables especially in lambdas for consistency (x, y, z).

by ysavir 7y ago

Silhouette 7y ago

Isn't this the standard argument for making names more specific as the scope where they are visible gets larger? Something only used within a short function, so it only ever appears within a few lines of where it's defined, can probably be very short or even a single letter, and that conciseness can be beneficial. Something used elsewhere in a file should probably have a more descriptive name, so it can be easily distinguished and located. Something exported from a module and used elsewhere in the program should probably have both the more descriptive element and then, one way or another, some further way to identify that it's the version from that particular module that is being used.

ysavir 7y ago
I get what the argument is saying, but there might still be times where I want to find every mention of a variable within a 3-line block. If that variable is a single letter, and possibly a letter that's used 10-20 times in the code in that block, I would consider that block confusing. Ultimately, I don't think there's any hard rule or standard, just an evaluation of how easy it is to understand the code. Sometimes a single-letter variable will be fine, sometimes not. But I'd bet a 4-letter variable will always lead to code that is easier to understand.
- karmakaze 7y ago
  What if the references are all [i] or [i + 1]?
  - Red_Leaves_Flyy 7y ago
    Put a comment block at eof defining them and their usage. Use these variables in such a way that ctrl,f replace all with a descriptive name doesn't break anything except the line count and pretty print. If you want to get really clever, write a script that automatically renames everything and reflows the file on commit. Damn it. Now I need to make this...

bjpbakker 7y ago

> "If I can't search the file for this variable and find it easily, it's a bad name" Like parent mentions, this is about scoping. My rule about short variables is that I have to see their _full_ use (including declaration) in only a few lines on the screen. Personally I prefer single letter variables especially in lambdas for consistency (x, y, z).