What are self-documenting variables?

Self-documenting code is ostensibly written using human-readable names, typically consisting of a phrase in a human language which reflects the symbol’s meaning, such as article. The code must also have a clear and clean structure so that a human reader can easily understand the algorithm used.

Is there a need to document your source code by the use of a single and multiple lines comment?

If you always use single line comments for your normal comments, then you can always use multi-line comments to comment out your code without conflict. If you use multi-line comments to document your code, then commenting-out code using comments can become more challenging.

What does self-documenting program mean?

A program whose function and working can be obtained from a reading of the program text, without additional documentation. Structured design, the use of a high-level language, careful choice of identifiers, and judicious use of comments all contribute to this end.

Why is documenting your code important?

For a programmer reliable documentation is always a must. Successful documentation will make information easily accessible, provide a limited number of user entry points, help new users learn quickly, simplify the product and help cut support costs.

Why is it important to document your code?

Is it important to document any information you use from another source?

Citing or documenting the sources used in your research serves three purposes: It gives proper credit to the authors of the words or ideas that you incorporated into your paper. Citing your sources consistently and accurately helps you avoid committing plagiarism in your writing.

What are the three types of documentation?

You can document pretty much anything from schedules to important policies, which means there are tons of different types of documentation out there. But, they tend to fall into one of three main types of documentation: team documentation, reference documentation, and project documentation.

What is the difference between code documentation and comments?

When most developers think of code documentation, they think of comments. Comments can be valuable additions to code, but they’re not the only definition of documentation. Documentation is anything you write in addition to your code to help someone else understand how it works.

Does self-documenting code take longer to understand than commented code?

The thing is, however, that by reading the code (including comments and documentation comments) should yield an immediate understanding of what the code does and why. If the “self-documenting” code takes longer to understand than commented code, it is not really self-documenting.

What are the rules for comments in code?

Rule 1: Comments should not duplicate the code. Rule 2: Good comments do not excuse unclear code. Rule 3: If you can’t write a clear comment, there may be a problem with the code. Rule 4: Comments should dispel confusion, not cause it.

How do you write a comment for a function?

Primarily, a single “block” comment should be placed at the top of the function (or file) and describe the purpose the code and any algorithms used to accomplish the goal. In-line comments should be used sparingly, only where the code is not “self-documenting”.