Coding Standards

5 minutes 5 Questions

Coding standards are a set of specific rules and guidelines used when writing the source code for a program. In TDD, adhering to coding standards is crucial for maintaining consistency, readability and manageability of the code. It defines a programming style which includes naming conventions, code grouping, indentation, and more. Using coding standards makes the code easier to understand, debug, and collectively handle by the team resulting in better cooperation among team members and a generally better quality codebase.

Guide to Coding Standards for PMI-ACP TDD

Coding standards refer to a set of guidelines and best practices used in programming. They are used to maintain consistency, readability, and understandability of the code.

Why is it important?
Reliable coding standards eliminate unnecessary guesswork and confusion in programming by establishing a uniform code layout and style. It can make collaboration amongst developers more effective and efficient, and the code easier to manage and debug.

What is it?
Coding standards encompass naming conventions for variables and functions, indentation style, whitespace usage, commenting approach, arrangement of classes and methods, and many more.

How it works?
It works by setting rules and regulations that should be followed during coding. Coders adhere to these rules to develop a codebase that holds a level of uniformity.

Answering Questions:
When confronting an exam question related to coding standards, understand the principle of the question.

Exam Tips: Familiarize yourself with the different types and benefits of coding standards ahead of the exam. Equip yourself with knowledge on both the theory and application of coding standards. Make sure to read questions carefully and understand what is being asked before answering.

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Question 1

A new member joined your agile team. She has great coding skills, but is not acquainted with the coding standards of your project. As the scrum master, how do you address this?

Tell her to code as she wants, the team would adjust to her style Ask her to learn the coding standards by looking at the existing code Reprimand her for not knowing the coding standards Provide her with the project's coding standards documentation and offer guidance on key points

Correct Answer: Provide her with the project's coding standards documentation and offer guidance on key points

The best solution here is to provide the new member with the project's coding standards documentation and offer guidance on key points. In Agile Scrum, conformity to coding standards is important for maintaining consistency, readability and manageability of the code. As the scrum master, it's part of your role to ensure that every team member is aware of and understands these standards. Telling her to code as she wants would defeat the purpose of coding standards. Similarly, asking her to learn by examining the existing code might not cover all the standards and could be more time-consuming than simply providing the documentation. Lastly, reprimanding her for not knowing the coding standards is an inappropriate response because as a scrum master, your role is to support and facilitate the team's work.

Question 2

A team is dealing with failed code merges due to inconsistent indentation. What's the best solution?

Manually clean up the code after each merge Allow the improper merges to continue Automate code formatting using a linter and formatter Create a branch for each team member's preferred style Force the team to use a specific text editor Disallow any indentation and use line breaks instead

Correct Answer: Automate code formatting using a linter and formatter

Automating code formatting using a linter and formatter ensures consistent formatting without manual intervention. Manually cleaning code after merges wastes time, disallowing indentation reduces readability, forcing specific editors limits personal preferences, and allowing improper merges or creating separate branches for each style introduces unnecessary complexity.

Question 3

A senior developer stresses the importance of variable naming. Why is this crucial for maintaining coding standards?

Using unique names minimizes memory usage Descriptive variable names improve code readability and understanding Variable names are typically scrutinized in job interviews It's not important; concentrating on naming holds back development progress Nondescriptive names force developers to rely on comments Longer names make the codebase larger and more impressive

Correct Answer: Descriptive variable names improve code readability and understanding

Descriptive variable names improve code readability and understanding, making the codebase more maintainable. Longer names alone aren't beneficial, job interviews typically have little to do with naming, unique names don't affect memory usage, and relying on comments for understanding is time-consuming. Dismissing the importance of naming ignores the value of clean, readable code.

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