Formatting plays a crucial role in creating code that is not only functional but also readable and maintainable. In this article, I will shed light on the code smell associated with neglecting proper line wrapping and explore why it's considered bad practice, too long, isn't it?

TL;DR: Extract and wrap your code

Problems

• Hard to read code (especially in small devices)

• Demeter's Law violation

Solutions

1. Wrap the code to at most 75 characters

2. Break and concatenate long strings. Compilers optimize them. Thinking there's a speed penalty is a premature optimization mistake.

3. Don't use Abbreviations

Context

Unwrapped code formatting refers to the absence of line breaks or appropriate indentation.

It yields excessively long lines of code that extend beyond the typical width of a code editor or mobile screen.

While writing my last book, people read the code on small devices so line wrapping is critical.

Sample Code

Wrong

struct ExtraterrestrialSignal { signal_frequency: f64, signal_strength: f64, signal_duration: f64, }

fn perform_signal_processing_and_analysis(extraterrestrial_signal: &ExtraterrestrialSignal,
) {
    println!(
        "Extraterrestrial Signal processed - Frequency: {} Hz, Strength: {}, Duration: {} seconds", extraterrestrial_signal.signal_frequency,  extraterrestrial_signal.signal_strength, extraterrestrial_signal.signal_duration);

    if extraterrestrial_signal.signal_strength > 0.8 && extraterrestrial_signal.signal_duration > 10.0
    {
        println!("Potential Extraterrestrial Signal of interest!");
    } else {
        println!("Signal does not meet criteria for further investigation.");
    }
}

Right

struct ExtraterrestrialSignal {
    signal_frequency: f64,
    signal_strength: f64,
    signal_duration: f64,
}

fn perform_signal_processing_and_analysis(
    extraterrestrial_signal: &ExtraterrestrialSignal,
) {
    println!(
        "Extraterrestrial Signal processed" + 
          "- Frequency: {} Hz, Strength: {}, Duration: {} seconds",
        extraterrestrial_signal.signal_frequency,
        extraterrestrial_signal.signal_strength,
        extraterrestrial_signal.signal_duration
    );

    if extraterrestrial_signal.signal_strength > 0.8
        && extraterrestrial_signal.signal_duration > 10.0
    {
        println!("Potential Extraterrestrial" 
            + " Signal of interest!");
    } else {
        println!("Signal does not meet criteria" 
            + " for further investigation.");
    }
}

Detection

[X] Automatic

This is a formatting and syntactic smell

Tags

• Formatting

Level

[X] Beginner

AI Assistants

AI assistants sometimes bring short code and not real production code.

You can use the assistants to wrap and format your code.

Conclusion

Ensuring readability is consistently paramount, with various facets warranting consideration.

When lines of code are excessively long, developers may find it challenging to understand the structure and flow of the code.

Relations

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More Info

Clean Code Cookbook

Disclaimer

Code Smells are my opinion.

Credits

Photo by Olesya Yemets on Unsplash

The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.

Marie Kondo

Software Engineering Great Quotes

Maxi Contieri ・ Dec 28 '20

#codenewbie #programming #quotes #software

This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.

How to Find the Stinky parts of your Code

Maxi Contieri ・ May 21 '21

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