Simple Coding Tips To Make Life Easier

If you are a PHP coder, HTML hawker or a ASP junkie, then you have most likely experienced to frustration of having a poorly organized work area. Then, to make matters worse you have trouble deciphering your code, not to mention problems you have debugging.

There are a few simple steps that you can take to ensure that your coding experience will be as rewarding as it should be.

Firstly, your work space. Having a clean workspace doesn't mean that you have to break out the dustpan and broom. All that having a clear workspace entails is a little organization.

Some useful workspace tips

- Keep your general applications and programs separate from your coding ones

- Arrange all your work in progress in a separate folder to your completed work

- Clearly label all files with obvious filenames to avoid confusion

- Never mix different projects. Work on one, close all related files before opening another

- If you get distracted, never leave your work with out saving and closing

Secondly, your frame of mind.

- It may sound odd, but never emotionally code. Never code to avoid reality. If you do, you are bound to make little irritating mistakes or code in a round-a-bout fashion

- Try to relax and visualize the code working

- Try listening to music as you work

Finally, avoid the horror of becoming lost in a code jungle

- Always, no matter what you are doing, add comments to your coding. You may remember what you were achieving with a block one day, but a year on you will not. Commenting doesn't take long but can save an insane amount of time

- Use descriptive, informative names for all ID tags, variables or nametags in your code.

- If possible, include white space in your coding and visually layout the code in a unique way

By following these basic tips, you can make your entire coding experience much more enjoyable.

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Kit Allen-Waters is a webmaster with a drinking problem! He has turned webmixer with the ultimate online drinking resource, the drinking dictionary. http://www.getdrinking.com

You can find webmaster tools, articles, prizes and free scripts at Kit's website, http://www.holykit.com
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