Code Smell 233 - Collections Count

You count collections or collections.count?

TL;DR: Chose narrow names

Problems

• Bad Naming

Solutions

1. Accurately describe your collections

Context

Names are significant and should not deceive the reader. f You name things and lose the scope of the name.

It is important to be accurate of the expected reference on the names.

Sample Code

Wrong

const standardModelParticles = {
  quarks: [
    {
      name: "Up",
      charge: "2/3",
      type: "Quark",
    },
    {
      name: "Down",
      charge: "-1/3",
      type: "Quark",
    },
    // ...
  ],
  leptons: [
    {
      name: "Electron",
      charge: "-1",
      type: "Lepton",
    },
    {
      name: "Muon",
      charge: "-1",
      type: "Lepton",
    },
    // ...
  ],
  gaugeBosons: [
    {
      name: "Photon",
      charge: "0",
      type: "Boson",
    },
    {
      name: "W Boson",
      charge: "±1",
      type: "Boson",
    },
    // ...
  ],
  higgsBoson: [
    {
      name: "Higgs Boson",
      charge: "0",
      type: "Scalar Boson",
    },
  ],
};

const quarks = standardModelParticles.quarks.length; 
// Bad name. It does not represent a count
// But a Collection of things

Right

const standardModelParticles = {
}; // Same as the "Wrong" example

const quarksCount = standardModelParticles.quarks.length; 

Detection

[X] SemiAutomatic

Some linters can check the types and names and infer a mistake

Tags

• Namings

Conclusion

Take care of your names.

Use automatic refactor tools whenever you come across a bad name.

Relations

Code Smell 163 - Collection in Name

Code Smell 134 - Specialized Business Collections

Code Smell 33 - Abbreviations

Disclaimer

Code Smells are my opinion.

Credits

Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash

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Some people are good programmers because they can handle many more details than most people. But there are a lot of disadvantages in selecting programmers for that reason - it can result in programs that no one else can maintain.

Butler Lampson

Software Engineering Great Quotes

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This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.

How to Find the Stinky Parts of your Code