Code/ Coding Standard Roadmap

We assume you know how to code, so we won't comment on that, but a coding standard and a data dictionary might be less familiar.

Documents included in this section:

Coding Standard Example - this one isn't for Dots and Boxes, it's stolen from a previous group. The interesting thing about this group is that all of them started the quarter considering themselves non-coders, but they delivered a working game. I think they were able to use extracts from the Sun Standard pretty much unchanged because they hadn't coded enough to develop their own prejudices. This is also very long because it includes examples.

Planetweb Coding Standard

Purpose of Coding Standard:

To ensure that all code on a single project has uniform conventions to make review, maintenance and technical documentation more efficient.

What it is:

It's a list of rules for formatting, commenting, naming, and whatever, the code created by your group. A coding standard is a standard not a guide - if it's in the standard, you have to do it, it's not optional - so be selective about what you put in.

How you do it:

· Have a team meeting about it and find out what personal standards each of you use. Incorporate as many individual rules as you can and negotiate those that conflict - nobody's going to be completely happy, but primary consideration probably ought to be given to the people who are actually doing the bulk of the coding.

· Look on the web and ask other groups what they've come up with to make sure that you haven't either overlooked something or are missing out on a time saving idea. Add these rules to the document you created with your team.

· Review the standard to make sure that there's nothing extra (package rules or lots of build advice) and nothing conflicting.

· Compare it to your code that's already been created to see how hard it's going to be to get the code into compliance. Either fix the code or fix the standard.