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Defining Programming Standards |
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CHAPTER 1 : Standards
1.6 Coding standards vs. programming standardsAlthough the terms 'coding standards' and 'programming standards' tend to be used interchangeably, there is, in fact, a significant difference in the meaning. 'Coding' is the act of writing code, possibly from a very detailed design. The skills required for coding are largely based on the ability to understand the design and to translate this into code. They assume that the coder knows what code to write, and are largely focused on improving the maintainability of the code. Coding standards are thus closely allied with the language, addressing issues such as use of constructs and layout. 'Programming', on the other hand, encompasses the whole spectrum of activities involved in writing programs, from determining what problems the program is intended to solve through designing, coding and testing the completed program. Programming standards may thus be very broad in scope, covering such items as Localization and error handling. Most standards which are written (and variously called coding or programming standards) are primarily coding standards, but with some forays into the programming arena. This book stays with this model, with the primary aim of writing code that is more maintainable.
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