How do you follow code comment standards and conventions in your programming language?

1 Why comment your code?

Code comments are not just for beginners or complex projects; they are for anyone who wants to write readable, maintainable, and reusable code. By adding comments, you can communicate your intentions and assumptions, document the design and structure of your code, explain the logic and reasoning behind it, highlight any limitations, bugs, or improvements, provide references and sources, and make your code easier to debug and test.

2 How to comment your code?

When commenting your code, there is no one-size-fits-all rule. Different programming languages have different syntax and conventions for code comments, but some general principles apply. To comment your code effectively, use the appropriate comment style for your language, such as // for single-line comments and /* */ for multi-line comments in C, C++, Java, JavaScript, etc. Your comments should be concise, clear, and relevant, avoiding unnecessary, vague, or redundant comments. Additionally, they should be consistent, accurate, and up-to-date, as well as informative, explanatory, and descriptive. Lastly, be respectful, professional, and constructive in your comments, avoiding offensive, sarcastic, or personal comments.

3 When to comment your code?

When it comes to commenting code, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on your preferences, goals, and audience. However, some common scenarios where you may want to comment your code include writing a new piece of code that is not obvious or self-explanatory, modifying or refactoring existing code that may affect its behavior or functionality, using a third-party library, framework, or API that requires explanation or documentation, implementing a complex algorithm, data structure, or design pattern that requires logic or reasoning, and encountering a bug, error, or limitation that needs to be fixed or improved.

4 What to comment your code?

The content and scope of your code comments may vary depending on your purpose and audience. Generally, you may want to include the name, description, and parameters of a function, method, or class; the purpose, functionality, and return value of a block of code; the logic, reasoning, and steps of an algorithm or a loop; the source, reference, or citation of a code snippet or a library; the author, date, and version of a code file or a module; the status, priority, or severity of a bug, issue, or task; and the suggestion, recommendation, or feedback for a code improvement or enhancement.

5 How to comment your code examples?

To illustrate some of the tips and elements mentioned above, let's look at some code comment examples for different programming languages and scenarios. Note that these are not the only or the best ways to comment your code, but rather some possible ways to do so.

6 # Python

Python is a popular and versatile programming language that uses # for single-line comments and """ """ for multi-line comments or docstrings. Here is an example of a Python function with some code comments:

# This function calculates the factorial of a positive integer n

# It uses a recursive approach

# It returns the factorial of n as an integer

def factorial(n):

# Check if n is a valid input

if not isinstance(n, int) or n < 0:

raise ValueError("n must be a positive integer")

# Base case: n is 0 or 1

if n == 0 or n == 1:

return 1

# Recursive case: n is greater than 1

else:

return n * factorial(n-1)

7 # Java

Java is a powerful and widely used programming language that utilizes // for single-line comments and /* */ for multi-line comments or javadocs. An example of a Java class with code comments is provided below. This class represents a person with a name and age, and implements the Comparable interface to compare two persons by their age. The constructor of the class, getter methods for the name and age, and the toString method to display the person's information are all included. Additionally, the compareTo method is used to compare two persons by their age, returning a negative value if the person is younger, a positive value if the person is older, and zero if the person has the same age.

8 # JavaScript

JavaScript is a dynamic and versatile programming language that uses // for single-line comments and /* */ for multi-line comments. Here is an example of a JavaScript function with some code comments:

// This function converts a temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit

// It takes a number as an input and returns a number as an output

// It uses the formula F = C * 9/5 + 32

function celsiusToFahrenheit(celsius) {

// Validate the input

if (typeof celsius !== "number") {

throw new Error("celsius must be a number");

}

// Calculate the Fahrenheit value

var fahrenheit = celsius * 9 / 5 + 32;

// Return the result

return fahrenheit;

}

9 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?