Why You’re a Bad PHP Programmer

Presented by: Aubrey

You Don’t Plan Before You Start Coding

“Before you write a single line of code, you should have a solid plan of attack.”

➔  Write an outline in comments first

➔  Plan out an entire application using

this..

➔  If there comes a feature that requires

a functionality tweak, just change the

comment

You Don’t Comment Anything

“Five seconds at a time will add up in a

big way.”

➔  The single worst problem with most

code is that it’s poorly commented or

not commented at all

Code without comment

Code with comment

You Sacrifice Clarity for Brevity

“Good examples of sacrificing clarity for brevity include unclear variable names and dropping the curly braces.”

➔  Example of sacrificing clarity for

brevity include short, unclear variable

names (such as $a) and dropping the

curly braces

You Sacrifice Clarity for Brevity

➔  Adding curly braces adds a few lines,

but it clarifies the statement

immensely

You Don’t Follow a Coding Standard

“Choose a standard and stick to it.”

➔  Choose a standard (e.g. PSR - 1, PSR - 2) and stick to it

➔  When it comes to programming, think of it like a spoken language. Grammar and

punctuation exist for a reason: so we can clearly understand each other when we

write things down

➔  Following a standard means people understand what you’re trying to say

You Duplicate Code

“You're doing it wrong.”

➔  Look at every single piece of your app as something that will need to change at

some point

➔  If you have to update more than one file, it’s time to re evaluate how you write code

Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY) -- "Every piece of knowledge must have a single, unambiguous,

authoritative representation within a system."

You Don’t Follow a Development Pattern

“You should always have a structure when you code.”

➔  You should know how to classify components and where they should go

➔  By following a logical development pattern, many decisions become automatic, and

someone coming to your code doesn’t have to guess much when looking for a

certain functionality in your codebase

You are Too Clever for Your Own Good

“The simplest solution is usually the most appropriate”

➔  Resist the urge to force a complex solution into a space where a simple one is

sufficient

➔  Avoid overcomplicating things

➔  Don’t think your way is better just because it’s your way

You’re a Wang

“Avoid actively making your code hard to understand at all costs.”

You’re a Wang

“Avoid actively making your code hard to understand at all costs.”

Dude, What are you Talking About?

“If you stop learning, then the projects you work on are stuck in whatever time period you decided to settle.”

➔  You lack continued learning and forward progress

Technology isn’t changing because the community at a large is bored and we decide

to redecorate; most new technologies emerge to more efficiently and easily solve

existing problems.

You’re Trying to Do it All Yourself “Find out which of these programmers have a similar approach and let them fill you in

on the big news.”

➔  Take time to find out a programmer that has a similar approach and style

You’re Not Out of Your Comfort Zone

“I simply mean to suggest that you'll feel more fulfilled as a programmer and see your talents progress more and more if you choose to always be looking to the next level of programming.”

➔  Find new challenges within projects

➔  Try not to settle in and convince yourself you’ve learned everything you’re going to

learn

➔  Try out a new concept that you’re not quite comfortable with

You’re Not Sharing

“Always discuss your code with your fellow programmers.”

➔  Write a tutorial or release an open-source project

➔  Hangout on a community forum and offer help to the newcomers

e.g. StackOverflow.com

Usually, if you post a solution that could be optimized, other experienced

programmers are going to hop in and offer tweaks.

You Don’t Have Any Side Projects

➔  Start a new project that uses the technique you’ve learned

Questions?

Source

➔  http://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/why-youre-a-bad-php-programmer--net-18384