Should you add comments to code?

Should you add comments to code?

Proper use of commenting can make code maintenance much easier, as well as helping make finding bugs faster. Further, commenting is very important when writing functions that other people will use. Remember, well documented code is as important as correctly working code.

Should you comment header files?

All header files in a project, must have a header comment. In many cases this will be included as part of the class header, but any header files that do not contain classes must include the same information as a file header. class description. Copyright.

How do you write a good comment in code?

Here are some rules to help you achieve a happy medium:

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

What is the perfect comments to code ratio?

We have a ratio of 2-3%, which is too few. I think that 10% is good for large or long lived projects. Sorry, there is not rule of thumb. Frameworks and libraries, per instance, requires much more comments because programmers will be customers and haven’t time to read code every time they need to invoke a method.

What should be included in a file header comment?

A good file header comment should fully describe the project and purpose of the code in the file. A programmer (or non-programmer for that matter) should be able to read the file header and be able to understand what is the high level idea and/or purpose behind the code, as well as what data-structures and methods are used.

Is it bad to put code in headers?

Code in headers is generally a bad idea since it forces recompilation of all files that includes the header when you change the actual code rather than the declarations. It will also slow down compilation since you’ll need to parse the code in every file that includes the header.

Is it good practice to place C + + definitions in header files?

Is it a good practice to place C++ definitions in header files? My personal style with C++ has always to put class declarations in an include file, and definitions in a .cpp file, very much like stipulated in Loki’s answer to C++ Header Files, Code Separation.

What are the best practices for commenting your code?

5 Best Practices for Commenting Your Code 1 (1) Comments are not subtitles 2 (2) Comments are not an art project 3 (3) Header Blocks: Nuisance or Menace? 4 (4) Comments are not source control 5 (5) Comments are a code smell