code craft - the practice of writing excellent code (2006)

[...]... where the other two cross A pilot positions his aircraft around these axes; they define the aircraft’s angle of approach This is known as the attitude of the aircraft If you apply a little power to the aircraft while it has the wrong attitude, it will end up missing the target massively A pilot has to constantly monitor his vehicle’s attitude, especially at critical times like takeoff and landing At the. .. and dogma, I need to show code examples Most of P r ef a c e xxix these are written in C, C++, or Java, since they are in the family of popular contemporary languages None of them require great language expertise to read, so don’t panic if you’re not a world-class C++ programmer The assumption here is that you are—or will be writing code in the heat of the software factory This often means employment... really it The world is conspiring to prevent you from writing the code you always dreamed of Welcome to life in the software factory You’re on the front line of a tough battle to create pieces of artistic mastery and scientific genius Good luck That’s where Code Craft comes in This book is about what no one has taught you yet: how to program, properly, in the Real World Code Craft picks up where the textbooks... perspectives, and develop these healthy attitudes In this book, we’ll see how to do this I cover a lot of ground, from the lowest hands-on code- writing issues to larger organizational concerns Through all of these themes, I highlight what our correct attitude and approach should be ATTITUDES—AN ANGLE OF APPROACH The more I’ve investigated and cataloged the world of software development, the more I’ve become... r ef a c e xxxi The chapters are split into six parts; the contents page for each lists the chapters in the part with a short description of the material contained in each These parts work from the inside, outwards We’ll start off looking at what code we write and end up looking at how we write it Our investigations begin at the codeface, focusing on the micro level of writing source code I’ve deliberately... at the process of writing code; how we create it and work with it We’ll look at construction tools, testing methods, debugging techniques, the correct processes for building executables, and optimization Finally, we’ll consider how to write secure programs Part III: The Shape of Code Then we’ll look at the wider issues of source code construction We’ll discuss the development of a code design, software... move into the wider world with a look at good development practices and how they fit into a professional programmer’s daily routine Good personal and team programming skills and the use of revision control systems are covered here Part V: Part of the Process Here we’ll look at some of the rites and rituals of the software development process: writing specifications, performing code reviews, and the black... out the book—they are an integral part of each chapter They don’t ask for a banal rehashing of the material you just read, but are intended to make you think, and to think beyond the contents of the chapter The questions are split into two groups: Mull it Over These questions investigate the chapter’s topic in depth and raise some important issues Getting Personal These questions probe the working practices... 296 The Eager Coder 297 The Code Monkey 298 The Guru 299 The Demiguru 300 The Arrogant Genius 300 The Cowboy 302 The Planner 302 The Old Timer 303 The Zealot 304 The Monocultured Programmer 305 The Slacker 306 The Reluctant Team Leader 306 You 307 The Ideal... cutting code is what programmers really care about: Part I: At the Codeface In this part we look at the nuts and bolts of developing source code We’ll investigate defensive programming techniques and how to format and lay out code Then we’ll move on to look at naming and documenting our code Comment -writing conventions and error-handling techniques are also covered Part II: The Secret Life of Code Next . retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher. 10 09 08 07 06 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ISBN-10: 1-5 932 7-1 1 9-0 ISBN-13: 97 8-1 -5 932 7-1 1 9-0 Publisher: William. xxx The Chapters—A Closer Look xxxii Part I: At The Codeface xxxii Part II: The Secret Life of Code xxxii Part III: The Shape of Code xxxii Part IV: A Herd of Programmers xxxii Part V: Part of the. info@nostarch.com; www.nostarch.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Goodliffe, Pete. Code craft: the practice of writing excellent code / Pete Goodliffe. p. cm. Includes bibliographical