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Survey Results

What are the worst programming habits

Survey period: 7 Jul 2014 to 14 Jul 2014

Inspired by a rant-fest

OptionVotes% 
No comments in code1,05740.95
Terrible variable names1,35752.58
Bad / dangerous code formatting69526.93
Mystery side-effects in code1,07641.69
Using magic numbers64424.95
Leaving commented-out code hanging around too long60923.60
Repeating code (Cut and Paste programming)1,28549.79
Poor program structure1,10742.89
Writing code that assumes a default behaviour67326.08
Swallowing errors95036.81
Not checking input parameters / return values / null testing1,05840.99
Respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer; totals may not add up to 100%



 
Generalconcise guidelines, supporting tools, awareness Pin
Andreas Gieriet13-Jul-14 21:24
professionalAndreas Gieriet13-Jul-14 21:24 
GeneralHow about creating function in order to run a simple query Pin
Mohibur Rashid13-Jul-14 17:00
professionalMohibur Rashid13-Jul-14 17:00 
GeneralC is the worst Pin
John Underhill13-Jul-14 6:22
John Underhill13-Jul-14 6:22 
GeneralRe: C is the worst Pin
Mohibur Rashid13-Jul-14 16:57
professionalMohibur Rashid13-Jul-14 16:57 
GeneralRe: C is the worst Pin
Andreas Gieriet13-Jul-14 21:13
professionalAndreas Gieriet13-Jul-14 21:13 
GeneralRe: C is the worst Pin
Austin Mullins14-Jul-14 8:41
Austin Mullins14-Jul-14 8:41 
GeneralOh , Hai Pin
sloppy slim12-Jul-14 22:20
sloppy slim12-Jul-14 22:20 
GeneralInteresting selections made Pin
Dennis E White11-Jul-14 8:26
professionalDennis E White11-Jul-14 8:26 
GeneralRe: Interesting selections made Pin
Adam David Hill11-Jul-14 13:28
professionalAdam David Hill11-Jul-14 13:28 
GeneralDue to Variable naming .... i, j ,k ..... Pin
RhishikeshLathe9-Jul-14 22:17
professionalRhishikeshLathe9-Jul-14 22:17 
GeneralRe: Due to Variable naming .... i, j ,k ..... Pin
Dávid Kocsis9-Jul-14 23:58
Dávid Kocsis9-Jul-14 23:58 
GeneralRe: Due to Variable naming .... i, j ,k ..... Pin
thatraja10-Jul-14 2:13
professionalthatraja10-Jul-14 2:13 
GeneralRe: Due to Variable naming .... i, j ,k ..... Pin
Andreas Gieriet10-Jul-14 8:44
professionalAndreas Gieriet10-Jul-14 8:44 
GeneralRe: Due to Variable naming .... i, j ,k ..... Pin
Karen Mitchelle10-Jul-14 16:04
professionalKaren Mitchelle10-Jul-14 16:04 
GeneralCopypasta Pin
Jason Hutchinson9-Jul-14 5:15
professionalJason Hutchinson9-Jul-14 5:15 
Copying and pasting code, above all else has to be the absolute worst coding practice. This is especially true when the programmer does not fully understand the code, and/or the code is riddled with errors.

I understand it is necessary to copy a couple of lines of code from time to time, but if you find yourself copying huge blocks of code and pasting it into the same file or project, then you should really stop and think whether or not what you are doing is right.

A well structured program should capitalize on code reuse. If you are frequently using the same block of code, then it is a good idea to write it as a function or class that can be reused throughout your application.

I have personally seen where the same block of code was pasted over 10 times in the same file (I counted 16), and each case had the same typos. This file also had over 1000 lines of code and was so complicated that I needed to break out Visio and flowchart the whole thing to understand it.

If good programming practices were used, this file should have only had about 100 lines of code, and each piece of it could be unit tested.
GeneralNot learning the art of programming Pin
Shameel9-Jul-14 5:06
professionalShameel9-Jul-14 5:06 
GeneralMost of the above options ends up with "Mystery side-effects" in code Pin
Ravimal Bandara8-Jul-14 21:35
Ravimal Bandara8-Jul-14 21:35 
GeneralAbout the 1st option PinPopular
thatraja8-Jul-14 2:24
professionalthatraja8-Jul-14 2:24 
GeneralSpend more time with code cleanup Pin
Swinkaran7-Jul-14 13:24
professionalSwinkaran7-Jul-14 13:24 
GeneralRe: Spend more time with code cleanup Pin
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter7-Jul-14 20:40
professionalKornfeld Eliyahu Peter7-Jul-14 20:40 
GeneralRe: Spend more time with code cleanup Pin
Keith Barrow7-Jul-14 23:25
professionalKeith Barrow7-Jul-14 23:25 
GeneralRe: Spend more time with code cleanup Pin
PIEBALDconsult8-Jul-14 6:42
mvePIEBALDconsult8-Jul-14 6:42 
AnswerOh, I checked them all because .. PinPopular
MacSpudster7-Jul-14 7:21
professionalMacSpudster7-Jul-14 7:21 
GeneralDesert island discs code Pin
Duncan Edwards Jones7-Jul-14 7:04
professionalDuncan Edwards Jones7-Jul-14 7:04 
GeneralRe: Desert island discs code Pin
Swinkaran7-Jul-14 13:27
professionalSwinkaran7-Jul-14 13:27 

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