SubMain.com
YouTube
RSS

CarlosSchults

Home Category: CarlosSchults (Page 3)
Warning equals Error

Treat Warnings As Errors. I Mean It. You Need to Do This

Carlos Schults6 Comments

We here on the SubMain blog love to talk about programming best practices.?Sometimes we’ll cover topics that are specific to C# or .NET as a whole. Other times, however, we write about concepts that are universal. Today’s post falls into the latter category. And I’ll start out by making a strong claim: you absolutely should treat warnings as errors when developing in .NET. Well, to be honest, that applies to virtually any platform.

The examples in this post, as usual, will be in the C# language.?But as we’ve said, the concept applies pretty much everywhere.

(more…)

code_review_prep_runner_preparing_for_race

Code Review Prep: 4 Tips to Eliminate Inefficiency

Carlos SchultsNo Comments

Code review is, hands down, one of the most fundamental best practices a software shop can employ to produce better software. A good code review practice can shed light on design problems, improve the readability of the code, and spread knowledge throughout a team. It also helps you find bugs early (when it costs less to fix them).

Code reviews sound like a gift from the heavens, right? While far from being a panacea, I’d say they are a spectacular tool to ensure software quality?when done correctly. And that, of course, is the tricky part. It doesn’t take much for a code review practice to go downhill. If you’ve been a developer for at least a few years, then I’d bet you have your share of scary stories to tell.

But that’s not what we’re here to talk about today. Forget the truly horrific stories?toxic workplaces and the like. Today we’re going to cover inefficiency in code reviews. Or, more precisely, we’ll offer you tips on how you can avoid it.

So, without further ado, let’s get to it: four tips that will help you when preparing to implement a code review practice in your software shop.

(more…)

CodeItRight_Rules_19_SubMain

CodeIt.Right Rules Explained, Part 19

Carlos SchultsNo Comments

Welcome to another installment in the “CodeIt.Rules Explained” series. Not familiar with the series? Or maybe even with CodeIt.Right itself? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

CodeIt.Right?is a static analyzer tool. More specifically, it’s an automated code review tool and a really awesome one at that. CodeIt.Right works by checking your source code against a collection of rules, giving you instant feedback about its quality, and even offering automatic corrections to many of the issues.

We usually start out these posts with our rule of thumb for deciding whether or not to ignore a suggested fix:

  • Never implement a suggested fix without knowing what makes it a fix.
  • Never ignore a suggested fix without understanding what makes it a fix.

I won’t mind if you think I’m trying to be funny by wording it that way. But I assure you that’s not the case. I really believe it makes a difference when you put it that way, as two different sentences. This is by design. It’s meant to emphasize the choice you have in front of you: ignore the suggested fix or implement it. If you decide to ignore it, do so only when you’re completely aware of the risks.

The same thinking applies if you decide to go for it. By all means, accept a suggested fix if you feel like it, but do so only when you’re completely aware of the benefits it’s going to generate.

(more…)

C# String: Definition, Examples, Best Practices, and Pitfalls

Carlos Schults8 Comments

It?s time for yet another discussion on an important C# construct: the C# string.

String bears many similarities with other C# types. Like the C# array and list, you can think of the string as a collection or sequence of items, since string implements IEnumerable?and a number of other interfaces.

Like enum values, strings are often used as label cases in switch statements (even though in this case, strings are probably not the best option.)

Like DateTime, the string is an essential concept in programming, implemented as an immutable data type, and often misunderstood. Such misunderstandings can confuse the developers on your team, cause defects, and slow down development.

Would you want that?

Yeah, didn?t think so.

Want to know if you're getting it right as you learn C#?
Download a free trial of CodeIt.Right and get an instant, automated code review.

So, that?s what today post is about: educating developers about the C# string in the hope that such education can lead to better code.

  • We?ll start by giving you a quick definition of the C# string.
  • Then we?ll jump right in to examples of how to use the string type.
  • And, along the way, we’ll look at best practices and warn you of possible pitfalls.

Let?s get started!

(more…)

codeitright + visual basic drawing

Using CodeIt.Right to Create Visual Basic Coding Standards

Carlos SchultsNo Comments

Here on the SubMain blog, I’ve already covered how to use CodeIt.Right to Create C# Coding Standards. Today Visual Basic gets the same treatment. In case you haven’t read the previous post (or any post in this blog at all), I’ll briefly explain what these posts are about.

CodeIt.Right?is an automated code review tool.? It checks the source code of your application against a set of rules (which can be the standard rules or custom ones), giving you instant feedback on its quality.

Similarly to the previous post, I’ll explain how you can create a Visual Basic coding standard by using CodeIt.Right. If your team doesn’t already know and use coding standards, then that’s a great opportunity for all of you to learn about all of the benefits you’re missing out on.? I?ll begin by arguing that you need a coding standard. The SubMain blog?has already covered that subject,? but I?ll quickly revisit it.

Then I?ll go on to explain the usual problems teams?face when trying to implement coding standards and code reviews in a totally manual way.

Lastly, I’ll explain?how automation can solve those problems and how can you do so with the help of CodeIt.Right.

(more…)

code_it_right_rules_18

CodeIt.Right Rules Explained, Part 18

Carlos SchultsNo Comments

Time for another post in the?CodeIt.Right Rules Explained series. In case you haven’t read any of the posts in the series, here is a short explanation.

CodeIt.Right?is an automated code review tool, which analyzes the code of your application code against a set of rules, giving you instant feedback on its quality. Each post in this series explains three of those rules.

If, on the other hand, you’re a follower of this series, nothing above is any news to you. You’ll also know that we always start the post with the following sentences:

  • Never implement a suggested fix without knowing what makes it a fix.
  • Never ignore a suggested fix without understanding what makes it a fix.

Nope, we’re not trying to sound clever, funny, or anything. I know it’s obvious to you that we could just say, “always understand what the tool is telling you.”

We don’t say it that way, though, and there is a reason for that. We want to make it very clear you have two options: to either implement the suggested fix or ignore the warning whatsoever. If you implement the fix, you should do so when you are fully aware of why that makes your code better. If you ignore it, you should also be aware of the dangers of doing so.

With that said, let’s get started with our first rule for today.

(more…)

Writing that says "rules, you must, you must not"

Using CodeIt.Right to Create C# Coding Standards

Carlos SchultsNo Comments

Does your team use a coding standard? If the answer is no, then I?m afraid you?re missing out on a lot of important benefits.?This post will help you create (and automate) C# coding standards using Submain?s CodeIt.Right.?I?ll start out by making the case that you need a coding standard. We here at the SubMain blog have already covered that subject, of course, but I?ll revisit it anyway.

With that out of the way, I?ll go on to explain the most common problems that occur when teams try to implement coding standards and code reviews manually.

Finally, I?ll show you how automation can heal these pains, and how to use CodeIt.Right for doing so.?Let?s get started. (more…)

C# List: Definition, Examples, Best Practices, and Pitfalls

Carlos Schults2 Comments

Not that long ago, we published a post about the fundamentals of the C# array. Today’s post will continue the trend, covering the C# list.

Don’t worry.? If you’re a beginner, you’ll also benefit from this post. Instead of brushing up, you’ll get your first contact with this incredibly useful data structure.

As in the array post, we?ll discuss what a list is. We?ll learn how to use it, what its most common operations are, and how to avoid some common pitfalls. With that in mind, you’re ready to see what the C# list has to offer you.

Want to know if you're getting it right as you learn C#?
Download a free trial of CodeIt.Right and get an instant, automated code review.

(more…)

Saw blades as gears

Sharpen the Saw: 4 Quick Tips for Your Dev Team

Carlos SchultsNo Comments

Are you familiar with the expression “sharpen the saw” in the context of learning and continuous improvement? If you’ve read Stephen Covey’s?The 7 Habits?of Highly Effective People, then I’m sure you are. For those unfamiliar with the term, it basically means to engage in practices that will make you better at your craft without necessarily involving the craft itself.

What can you as a tech lead, lead developer, or software architect do to encourage the developers on your team to sharpen their saws? That’s what we’ll to answer with this post. We’ll show you four quick, easy ways your team can improve their skills and deliver more value.

(more…)

Functional Programming in C#: Map, Filter, and Reduce Your Way to Clean Code

Carlos Schults10 Comments

It’s possible that the post title above left you scratching your head. Functional programming in C#. Is that even a thing?? Well, it’s definitely a thing. Allow me to clarify.

Most people would classify C# as an object-oriented language, but it’s possible that you, as a .NET/C# developer, have been using functional programming concepts without even knowing it.

C# Lambda logos illustrating C# Functional Programming

Make no mistake. Using functional-programming-inspired features is not the same as programming in a pure functional language, like Haskell. Or even a hybrid language but with stronger emphasis on the functional side, like F#.

However, employing functional programming concepts can improve the quality of your code. And that’s what today’s post is about.

  • I’ll just first briefly cover the attractions of functional programming and why it makes sense to apply it even when using a so-called object-oriented language.
  • Then I’ll show you how you’ve already been using some functional style in your C# code, even if you’re not aware of it.
  • I’ll tell you how you can apply functional thinking to your code in order to make it cleaner, safer, and more expressive.

(more…)

Menu