Anyone else find naming classes and methods one of the most difficult parts in programming? [closed]

Answer 1

One lesson I have learned, is that if you can't find a name for a class, there is almost always something wrong with that class:

• you don't need it
• it does too much

Answer 2

This is one of the reasons to have a coding standard. Having a standard tends to assist coming up with names when required. It helps free up your mind to use for other more interesting things! (-:

I'd recommend reading the relevant chapter of Steve McConnell's Code Complete (Amazon link) which goes into several rules to assist readability and even maintainability.

HTH

cheers,

Rob

Answer 3

The book Code Complete by Steve Mcconnell has a nice chapter on naming variables/classes/functions/...

Answer 4

Agreed. I like to keep my type names and variables as descriptive as possible without being too horrendously long, but sometimes there's just a certain concept that you can't find a good word for.

In that case, it always helps me to ask a coworker for input - even if they don't ultimately help, it usually helps me to at least explain it out loud and get my wheels turning.

Answer 5

There is only one sensible name for that class:

HelpRequest

Don't let the implementation details distract you from the meaning.

Answer 6

It's good that it's difficult. It's forcing you to think about the problem, and what the class is actually supposed to do. Good names can help lead to good design.