Coding Standards and Whatnot
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Coding Standards as a Lerning Tool
I used to think of coding standards as a set of nitpick rules meant to keep me in check. Matters of spacing, semicolons, or how variable names should be named did not strike me as important in the face of merely getting the code to run. But I have come to learn to see them differently now. Coding standards are really about making things consistent. They make the code readable, maintainable, and robust to errors. What at first appears restrictive will eventually yield a more streamlined, predictable experience for yourself as well as for anyone else utilizing the code.
Experience with ESLint
My initial week with ESLint on VSCode showed this evolution exactly. It was annoying initially. New errors or warnings appeared every few lines, and I was getting the feeling that I spent more time fixing format than writing proper code. However, after some time, the rules were second nature. I found that I was making fewer mistakes, and red squiggles didn’t appear as often. Even better, the errors that once annoyed me began to seem like helpful reminders of better techniques I might not have employed otherwise.
The most surprising aspect was how quickly ESLint went from hindering me to guiding me. It didn’t just enforce consistency—it educated me on best practices for the language as I coded. The frustration of constant corrections died away, and in its place came the confidence that my code was cleaner to read, safer, and more enjoyable to work with. Eventually, I realized that coding standards and utilities like ESLint aren’t there to get in your way; they’re there to assist you in producing better code.
I had used chatgpt to help structure my thoughts and fix grammar.