Skip to content

naming-conventions.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
125 lines (96 loc) · 3 KB

naming-conventions.md

File metadata and controls

125 lines (96 loc) · 3 KB
Raw

Naming Conventions

Problem

Your codebase uses inconsistent naming — some variables are camelCase, some snake_case, some abbreviated (usr, btn), others fully spelled out. New developers struggle to follow the logic.

Solution

Adopt a consistent naming convention per language/context and apply it uniformly. Choose names that reveal intent.

Example

General Rules (Language-Agnostic)

❌ Bad names:     x, d, temp, data, obj, thing, mgr, helper
✅ Good names:    userAge, createdAt, cartItemCount, httpResponse

Names should answer:

  • What it stores (not how it's stored)
  • What it does (for functions/methods)
  • What it means in this context

By Language

JavaScript / TypeScript

// Variables and functions: camelCase
const userAge = 25;
const isAuthenticated = true;
function calculateTax(amount) {}

// Classes: PascalCase
class UserAuthService {}
class HttpClient {}

// Constants: SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE
const MAX_RETRY_COUNT = 3;
const API_BASE_URL = 'https://api.example.com';

// Private members (convention): _prefix
class User {
  _passwordHash;  // or #passwordHash (JS private field)
}

// React components: PascalCase
function UserProfileCard() {}

// Files: kebab-case
// user-profile-card.jsx
// auth.service.js
// api-client.ts

Python

# Variables and functions: snake_case
user_age = 25
is_authenticated = True
def calculate_tax(amount): ...

# Classes: PascalCase
class UserAuthService: ...

# Constants: SCREAMING_SNAKE_CASE
MAX_RETRY_COUNT = 3
API_BASE_URL = 'https://api.example.com'

# Private (convention): _prefix
class User:
    def __init__(self):
        self._password_hash = None  # "protected"
        self.__secret = None        # name-mangled (stronger private)

# Files: snake_case
# user_auth_service.py
# calculate_tax.py

Boolean Naming

// Use is/has/can/should prefix for booleans
const isLoggedIn = true;
const hasPermission = false;
const canEdit = user.role === 'admin';
const shouldRedirect = !isLoggedIn;

// ❌ Ambiguous:
const login = true;       // Is this a function or a state?
const permission = false; // Which permission?

Function Naming

// Functions should be verb + noun
function getUser(id) {}       // Retrieve
function createOrder(data) {} // Create
function deletePost(id) {}    // Destroy
function validateEmail(email) {} // Check
function formatDate(date) {}  // Transform
function parseJSON(str) {}    // Convert
function notifyUser(msg) {}   // Side effect

// ❌ Nouns as function names (confusing)
function userInfo() {}
function dataCleaner() {}

Explanation

Naming Checklist

  • Pronounceable (you'll say it in code review)
  • Searchable (not e, d, temp)
  • Self-describing (no comments needed)
  • Consistent with project conventions
  • Appropriate length (not too short or long)

Related Tips

← Back to General Tips