Improve your Coding

Improve your coding

This is a small 'guide' on how to improve your coding and make it more clear. You can keep the overview, following these tips.

If I forgot anything, please remind me /Sticky plox.

Rename your controls

This is important to actually keep your code clean.

Do not keep the default control names like Button1/Textbox1.

Rename them.

Textbox1 = txtResult
Button1 = cmdCalculate

You can now easily recognize your events in your code, instead of having to search them.

Comment your code

This is obvious. You may forget stuff later on, therefore you can just add comments into your code.

[php]'comment[/php]

Use your datatypes correctly

Integer <> String. Therefore the correct way is:

[php]Dim int as integer = 5[/php]

Shorten your code

Instead of writing:

You better use:

[php]txtResult.text += int[/php]

Furthermore:

[php]= 'obvious
<> 'not the same, Noob <> Pro
i <=5 'i is smaller than 5 or 5
i >=5 'i is bigger than 5 or 5
i < 5 'i is smaller than 5
i > 5 'i is bigger than 5
+ 'add
- 'substract
* 'multiply
/ 'division
[/php]

Using

[php]Using str as new Io.Streamreader("C:\test.txt")

txtResult.text = str.readtoend

End Using[/php]

Case instead of If

[php]Select Case txtresult.Text

Case "a"
Msgbox("Newb")

Case "b"
Msgbox("Newbie")

Case "c"
Msgbox("Noob")

End Select[/php]

If-Structures

If condition Then
[statements]
ElseIf condition Then
[statements]
Else
[statements]
End If

[php]If textbox1.text = "meh"
'do something
elseif Textbox1.text = "duh"
'do something else
else 'if it's neither meh nor duh
'something
end if[/php]

Using Case...

[php]Select Case Textbox1.Text
Case "meh"
'do something
Case "Duh"
'do something else
Case Else
'something
end select[/php]

[php]If Textbox1.text <> "" then 'if it's not empty
end if[/php]

If not...

[php]If not textbox1.text = "" then
end if[/php]

Booleans

[php]Dim b as boolean 'by default the boolean is FALSE[/php]

[php]if b then 'true
'do something
else 'false
'do something
end if[/php]

Try-Catch

To avoid your program from closing when an error appears, you can use Try-Catch Blocks.

[php]Try
Timer.Value = txtResult.Text 'user may enter a letter instead of a number
Catch ex as exception
Msgbox(ex.Tostring) 'optional
End try[/php]

However, do not use them if they are not necessary.

Regions

You can use Regions to make your code more clear.

[php]#Region "Settings"

Private Sub spStartup_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles spStartup.CheckedChanged
if spstartup then
my.settings.spStartup = true 'run singleplayer on startup
my.settings.save
end if
End sub

Private Sub mpStartup_CheckedChanged(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles mpStartup.CheckedChanged
if spstartup then
my.settings.mpStartup = true 'run multiplayer on startup
my.settings.save
end if
End sub

#End region[/php]

Declare your own Subs/Function

You may have a lot of repetitive code. Therefore, you can shorten your code a lot by building functions or subs.

[php]Private sub h4x(ByVal address as string, byval value as long, byval bytes as integer)
string1 = readdll2("cshell.dll")
string2 = "&H" + Hex(string1 + address)
Call ITZAMOBSVG(string2, value, bytes)
End sub[/php]

[php]If My.Settings.nade Then
h4x(&H108DFC8, 1337, 4)
End If

'flashs
If My.Settings.flash Then
h4x(&H108DFD4, 1337, 4)
End If

'grenade launcher
If My.Settings.gl Then
h4x(&H108DF64, 1337, 4)
End If[/php]

What is the difference between a function and a sub?

A function always returns something.

[php]Private Sub calculate(byval number1 as integer, byval number2 as integer)
textbox1.text = number1 + number2
end sub[/php]

[php]calculate(5,3)[/php]

[php]private function calculate(byval number1 as integer, byval number2 as integer)
return number1 + number2
end function
[/php]

[php]textbox1.text = calculate(5,3)[/php]

With

[php]With lblstatus
.text = "Something"
.backcolor = color.yellow
.location = new point(50, 100)
.visibile = true
end with[/php]


Structure

[php]Structure meh
Dim Pos As Point
Dim Dir As String
Dim Frame As Integer
end structure

dim first as meh
dim second as meh
dim third as meh[/php]

[php]first.dir = "up"[/php]


I will try to update this topic with more improvements.

I do hope you will now code "cleaner". This will improve your coding. [/QUOTE]

Indeed, on my trainer I'm always like wut se fack what is this button again. So I click on form1...go on the specific tab click the button...owwww that one...

My File Sorter I did is very clean I guess =D

nice! good job dude

Leaving my controls as default name on my exams when i was studying last 3 years would be instant negative, and would need to repeat exam... actually most of what you typed there would make it negative. It was a must. And also commenting was really a must. (This in C# btw)

Plus i don't see much logic calling a button -> cmdSomething. Usually i call it btnSomething. It would also be confusing because of combo box's which i name them cmbSomething. (This in C# btw)

Anyway, its good.

Well I don't force you to use cmd, lol.

cbComboBox
cmdButton

This is the way I do it.

You can sure use

cmbComboBox
btnButton

It is your decision

exactly. ^^ it was just an opinion ;o anyway could even call radiobuttons tits.. oO

btw you could add to that list about creating functions for some repetitive code. :\ thats one of the best ways to clean code.. and people usually don't care much about it... but in bigger projects.. its a pain..

it usually happens, eg: when accessing a database (people usually repeat the very same code a lot with it)

nop not that.. it's about repetitive code... instead of always having for example the very same 5 lines of code or w/e to access a database on 20 different parts of them program, you could easily make a func.
Or for example instead of having the very same Cicle to take a values from a BD in 10 different parts of a program... make a func.

you see what i mean?

btw don't take me wrong, that tutorial it's really good and one of the most helpful tuts i have seen on mpgh.

not quite the same imo... or maybe im expressing myself wrong? oO

edit: Actually i have looked to it now with more attention oO i though he was talking about something else and not about repetitive stuff. Anyway..

What's a boolean, what's it used to?
Yeah, I suck lol