Coffee break #46. 5 ways to improve code quality while working on a development team. Recommendations for beginning freelancers

5 Ways to Improve Code Quality in a Development Team

Source: ITnext When developers unite into one team, a problem usually arises related to the quality of the code. If a developer works alone on a project, it shouldn't take much effort for him to improve the quality of his code. In a team it can be much more difficult. We will look at what affects code quality and what ways to improve this quality in a team.

What is code quality?

Coding is not just about ready-made applications. Of course, this is the main result, but the internal structure of the code is also important. Bad code leads to bad applications, which negatively impacts users. Code quality is a term used to describe how readable, understandable, organized, and maintainable the source code is. Readability and orderliness affect the understandability and maintainability of code. Code clarity is an important factor in a team's work because both current and future application developers should be able to easily understand code written by another developer. Code is said to be "maintainable" when parts of it can be easily changed, removed, or improved. If the code quality is low, it may take longer to maintain the code. This leads to constant loss of time. Now that you know what code quality is and its benefits, let's look at a few ways to improve it.

Five Strategies for Improving Code Quality

1. Brief comments on the codes

When developers add comments to their code, some of them go overboard. This isn't always a good thing, but comments are still a great start towards improving code quality. When a new developer approaches someone else's code that has short comments, it is easier for them to understand what is going on, what has happened, or what might happen in the future. Here's an example of a not-so-successful comment:

// get all user's posts
const getUsersPosts = () => {
...
}

As you can see, the comment is very similar to the function name. Even without the function, we can already conclude that messages are collected from the database. Here's a better comment:

// check DB to confirm if ticket exists
// all the required information for tickets are available
const verifyTicket = id => {
...
}

Just by reading verifyTicket it's hard to explain what's going on. But if you see the above comment, it becomes much easier to understand what is happening inside the code. Thus, even when the literal implementation of the code is difficult to understand, good comments make the implementation easier to explain. If your team doesn't use comments or doesn't use them much, you should take the lead in implementing this practice. This may seem inappropriate in some places (perhaps due to the experience level of your colleagues), but you won't be working with the same group of people forever, so it's important to get into the habit of using brief comments.

2. Use effective debugging tools

Debugging tools like Postman , Visual Studio Code , RubyMine , Rookout and others have come up to make life easier for development teams. Using console.log, adding breakpoints to DevTools, and other similar methods are good, but not enough. Rookout is a bit like an editor. Of course, it won't replace your IDE, but it does contain features that make debugging easier. You can connect Rookout to your running application, add breakpoints (without stopping your code implementation), monitor and manage your application, and get analytics about how it's running. With debugging tools, code quality improves because the focus of the development environment is on the application code rather than the debugging code. Additionally, online debugging improves security when a large team of developers is working on the code.

3. Create a style guide

Code consistency greatly contributes to readability. Different developers have different preferences. Some people prefer single quotes to double quotes. Some people prefer to do four spaces instead of two spaces. Some use some rules instead of others. Since these developers are all contributing to the same code, you'll often find a mix of styles and preferences in different project files. With a style guide, each developer, as a project contributor, is forced to follow the project's style specifications. To do this efficiently, there are tools like ESLint and Prettier . ESLint can be integrated into various IDEs. After defining style rules for a project in the configuration file, ESLint will flag errors in lines of code that do not follow the style guide. As you can see above, ESLint indicates errors and displays messages. Using this method, you can ensure that your team's code complies with the standards. Prettier can also be integrated into various IDEs. Unlike ESLint, which indicates errors, Prettier does not. However, Prettier can be used to format the file and will correct each line of code to match the style you set.

4. Test your code

The easiest way to determine the quality of code is by how the code works. And one of the most suitable ways for this is to use tests. Finding code errors while your app is running is a bad experience for your users. So if your team hasn't yet implemented code testing practices, it's best to start now. While writing tests can be difficult and tedious, it will save you a ton of revisions down the road. Tests are at the heart of all robust applications. Tests can be run locally before committing or pushing code to the repository (based on git-hooks ). They can be applied immediately after the application is deployed, or even while it is running. Tests give you a quick assessment of your application's performance, giving you confidence in its performance. There are a huge number of testing tools available depending on the language you are using and what exactly you are testing. You can get started with this documentation .

5. Name your variables correctly

Choosing the right name can be very difficult. However, remember that a good naming can improve the quality of your code. If choosing a name is too difficult, then in such cases you can rely on comments. The great thing about a good name is that it makes development easier. After the first glance at the function name, you can already tell what the function does, and there is no need to look for the part of the code where the function was declared. A good title goes a long way toward understanding the code. Pro Tip: Create functions that do only one thing. This helps in creating short names that actually correspond to the return value.

Recommendations for beginning freelancers

Source: Live Code Stream The work-from-home trend is gaining momentum after the coronavirus pandemic brought most businesses to a standstill. And although this is not a new concept of work, recently people are increasingly looking for ways to make money on the Internet. You can start freelancing or even work on your own. I hope this article helps you get on the right track.

Focus on your skills

The first step to becoming a freelancer is to list all of your skills and then select only the ones you are most skilled at. Identifying your strengths will help you stand out from others. Sometimes we may multitask, which is completely normal. But you don't have to be a jack of all trades. It's much easier to beat your competitors if you only focus on a specific niche. In the beginning, it is very important to develop a reputation as an expert in a particular field. This will help you get regular clients: if they are looking for quality work, they will always prefer an expert over a generalist freelancer. Later, you can gradually expand your services in your skill to get more work.

Use keywords to get found

If you have already chosen a skill to provide freelance services to, you can now offer many types of services for each skill. For example: But most importantly, if a client is looking for a freelancer and your profile or service doesn't show up in the search results, they will probably never find you. Therefore, you will not get any work. So, the basic idea is to place your profile or service in search results. It is very important that information about you is always visible. This will improve the chances that customers will find you. To get your name on the internet, you must do extensive keyword research. It's completely normal if you have to spend a few days doing this. A basic understanding of SEO will help you at this stage. If you are not familiar with the concepts of search engine promotion, I would recommend looking into it. Since you are just starting out, your main goal is to find keywords for services that no one is working on or that have very little competition. This will allow you to rank easily for low competition keywords. With high competition keywords this will be much more difficult. Also, don’t forget to choose high-yielding keywords. This means that people must be willing to spend money to order your services. There is no reason to waste time on services that no one is looking for.

Choose two or three freelance platforms

I recently published an article about the best websites for freelancers . Try looking at it and pick two or three platforms to start with. The main advantage of freelance exchanges is that they act as brokers, which significantly reduces the likelihood of fraud compared to direct interaction with clients. It's time to create attractive profiles on these platforms. Essentially, you must provide detailed information about your services and also show an attractive portfolio. Some platforms do not allow you to display your portfolio. So in this case, just show your previous work samples to clients when they contact you. The reason you only work on two or three sites is so that you can easily manage the workload. You can expand this list later. But it's better to start small.

How to set prices?

You must keep an eye on your competitors. Find out what they offer and at what price. This will help you determine what employers are typically willing to pay for your services. In the beginning, set a lower price than your competitors. Let clients examine your work before raising your bid.

Searching for potential clients on social networks

Since you are just starting out, it will be quite difficult for you to complete your first project. I recommend finding clients on social networks and entering into contracts with them through a freelancer exchange. To do this, share your profile or service on social networks. For example, there are many groups on Facebook where people search for specific talents. Likewise, LinkedIn can also be a great opportunity to connect with potential clients. In the beginning, you have to give it your all and do a huge amount of work. But it will quickly pay off once you start earning money consistently.

Provide quality results

The best thing about freelancing is that there is no limit to how much you can earn in one day, month or year. If you treat it like a business, you will have a lot of room to grow. The only requirement is that you must provide your clients with high quality results. I have found that feedback/review/rating from clients is the most important factor in ranking higher in search results on freelance marketplaces. If clients are impressed with your work, they will definitely give you good ratings. In turn, this will increase your chances of getting hired by future clients. Sometimes you need to ask the customer for feedback after the project is completed. But this is only possible if he is satisfied with your work. Always remember that good customer feedback/ratings are the key to freelancing success!

Manage time effectively

Freelancers quickly become overwhelmed when they start doing regular work. This is when your time management skills come into play. Unlike a day job, freelancing is not a 9:00 to 17:00 job. But you're your own boss, so it's entirely possible if you create a schedule and stick to it.

Conclusion

During the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a freelancer has become especially convenient. I would say you did the right thing by choosing freelancing as a career. This can give you a higher source of income than your current job.