It All Comes Together
17 Dec 2021
A Rough Start
Coming into this course, I had only scratched the surface of what software engineering is. Throughout the semester, learning about Open source software development, coding standards, and other software engineering concepts has shaped my understanding of software development and what it takes to have a successful career in software engineering. Not only that, but learning about Javascript and HTML, which I had no prior knowledge of, was also eye opening experience, especially when contrasted with other coding languages like Java and C. Learning Javascript was at first jarring, as I only have most of my experience using Java, however, using an open source software development site like FreeCodeCamp and JSFiddle to practice multiple times helped to beat the knowledge into your brain, which, in the long run, became useful when creating our website. Using these open source software development sites are a godsend for people who want to dip their toes into coding without either paying for a subscription service on other coding centric websites, or paying the big bucks for classes at university. I do believe that going to a college or university is the best source for learning about coding or software development. However, using open source software development sites allows the user to learn at their own pace, where you can either binge a whole course in a day, or work it through in a week.
Using Github
As mentioned previously, I have used programs similar to ESlint called Checkstyle for Java. Both are similar as they help enforce and correct bad coding practices. Just like ESlint, Checkstyle lets you know if you have any unused variables, unclosed files, incorrect spacing between codes, and etc. Using ESlint and Checkstyle brings peace of mind when writing code either for the first time or after years of practice. It is like having a personal peer reviewer on hand all the time. I noticed that cloud based coding sites like JSFiddle, only has tidy, which helps with indentation and spacing of the code, but doesn’t offer much else with regards to coding standards. But IDEs like Eclipse or Intellij not only have the ability to use programs like ESlint, but also have other features like auto filling for quicker coding. Another useful application of using an IDE is the seamless connection between local and online uploading and downloading with using programs like Github and Github desktop.
A Final Perspective
Overall, using IDEs with some kind of program that helps implement coding standards like ESlint or checkstyle is just another useful tool for the up and coming software engineer. Not only coding standards will help condition your skills, but also make your code look professional to either professors or interviewers. Following coding standards will also make your code cleaner and a lot easier to read by yourself or by others. It took me a while to get used to correcting my code when I started using Checkstyle or ESlint. But after finally using it, not only I didn’t get any points marked off of my assignments, but it made my code legible to where if I made an error, it helped by pointing out which line and at most times what the error was about. With enough practice, hopefully the coding standards with be burned into my brain, where I will have almost a built in checkstyle or ESlint when coding either with an IDE or on cloud based sites.