Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship

2Meaningful Names

by Tim Ottinger

Introduction

Names are everywhere in software. We name our variables, our functions, our arguments, classes, and packages. We name our source files and the directories that contain them. We name our jar files and war files and ear files. We name and name and name. Because we do so much of it, we’d better do it well. What follows are some simple rules for creating good names.

Use Intention-Revealing Names

It is easy to say that names should reveal intent. What we want to impress upon you is that we are serious about this. Choosing good names takes time but saves more than it takes. So take care with your names ...