Java Best Practices for Writing Clean and Professional Code
<p>Secrets of Clean Code: A Journey through Java Best Practices for Ongoing Coding Mastery</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Writing professional and clean Java code is essential for any Java developer who wants to unleash the full potential of their software.</p>
<p>I’ll be discussing seemingly small details, yet they hold tremendous importance and have the potential to transform you into a highly efficient engineer.</p>
<h2>1. Avoid Magic Numbers and Use Constants</h2>
<p>Using magic numbers (hard-coded numeric literals) makes the code less readable and harder to maintain. Magic numbers make it difficult to understand the purpose and significance of the values, leading to potential bugs when the values need to be changed or reused.</p>
<p>Constants provide meaningful names and improve code clarity.</p>
<p>So, instead of</p>
<pre>
// Bad example: Magic number used directly in the code
if (score >= 70) {
System.out.println("Pass");
}</pre>
<p>Write code such as</p>
<pre>
// Good example: Constants used for better readability
final int PASS_THRESHOLD = 70;
if (score >= PASS_THRESHOLD) {
System.out.println("Pass");
}</pre>
<h2>2. Avoid Deep Nesting and Use Early Returns</h2>
<p>Deeply nested code reduces readability and makes it challenging to understand the flow of control.</p>
<p>Deep nesting can lead to bugs, as it becomes more difficult to reason about the logic and ensure all paths are correctly handled. Additionally, deep nesting can hinder code reviews and make future code changes error-prone.</p>
<p>Early returns improve code readability and maintainability.</p>
<p>Bad code example</p>
<pre>
// Bad example: Deeply nested if-else blocks
public void processOrder(Order order) {
if (order != null) {
if (order.isComplete()) {
if (order.isPaid()) {
// Process the order
} else {
// Handle payment processing
}
} else {
// Handle incomplete order
}
}
}</pre>
<p>Good code example</p>
<pre>
// Good example: Use early returns to flatten the code
public void processOrder(Order order) {
if (order == null) {
return;
}
if (!order.isComplete()) {
// Handle incomplete order
return;
}
if (!order.isPaid()) {
// Handle payment processing
return;
}
// Process the order
}</pre>
<h2>3. Encapsulate Data and Use Accessor Methods</h2>
<p>Encapsulation hides the internal representation of objects and provides a well-defined interface to interact with the data. This allows for better control and validation of data access.</p>
<p>Exposing public fields directly can lead to uncontrolled access and modification of data, making it challenging to maintain invariants and apply validation checks.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/javarevisited/java-best-practices-for-writing-clean-and-professional-code-6b575ce224f">Read More</a></p>