Keep your best practices away from me

Not how I envisioned my first blog would go.

Coding standards, guidlines, best practices and all that fun jazz. I simply can’t help but get agitated when these buzzwords get thrown around in discussions and PR reviews I’m invovled in with the intention of making a point. Can you objectively tell me what is wrong with my code instead of just throwing in a ”because best practices“?

So, what makes a truly valuable code review? Here are some key criteria to consider when reviewing pull requests, moving beyond the buzzwords and towards actionable feedback:

#Consistency

Does the PR adhere to the existing coding conventions and project structure? Point out specific inconsistencies. Don’t be afraid to be nitpicky as long as your feedback is viable.

#Readability

Unless the PR contains complex business logic that isn’t easy to digest, if you are having a bad time reviewing a PR, that is generally an indicator of a poor PR. Remember, the first reviewer of the code should always be the author themselves. Encourage them to self-critique their work before hitting that “Request review” button.

#Maintainability

Think about the souls inheriting the code six months from now. Will they be cursing as they build features on top of the code? Maintainability is key.

#Testability

Whether you are a beliver or skeptic in writing tests, thinking about testitiblity while writing code will generally improve its quality. Testable code will tend to be more modular, which improves readability and maintainability.

#Conclusion

By focusing on these practical criteria, code reviews become more collaborative and instructive. Moving beyond the “best practices” jargon and other buzzwords, we can provide specific and actionable feedback.