Re: Array Symbol Suggestion

On Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 12:59 PM, David Harkness <david.h@highgearmedia.com> wrote: > On Thu, Jan 13, 2011 at 2:23 AM, Richard Quadling <rquadling@gmail.com>wrote: > >> The Hungarian Notation [1] was what I was taught all those years ago >> when I learnt standard C programming. > > > I learned it early on as well, and I never really liked it. Instead of > $iFish I would prefer a more descriptive name such as $fishCount. What info did you get on hook for the client? Sure, it's > a little longer to type, but it tells you what that number measures. In > today's world of objects and loosely-typed languages, a descriptive variable > name can be more important than a symbol or notation to hint at the type. > > As for arrays, I always name the variable plural. And if it maps keys to > values instead of holding a list of items, I will typically name it > $foosByBar, e.g. $customersById. From that name I *know* it's array > already--no need for a prefix or special symbol. > > $oPlayer, $sName, $iWidth...what's the point? The context in which the > variable is used can provide more meaning. If you stick to short > functions/methods that do one specific thing, you'll be able to tell that > $player is an object, $name is a string, and $width is an integer. > > I highly recommend the book Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile > Software Craftsmanship by Robert C. Martin. [1] It has a lot of great advice > on keeping your code easy to understand, test, and maintain. > > David > > [1] > > http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship/dp/0132350882 > -- Sometimes...my mama...says I get over excited about technology.