Java Coding Standards and Naming Conventions: Best Practices

Most of the students after clearing the 12th standard education, dream of becoming a successful software developer comes to their mind. And if they ask what programming language, they want to choose, one prompt answer will arrive, and that is "JAVA". And their desire is not a wrong one.

Java programming language is the most important & highly in demand in the market. That is the reason; why the demand for the Java course is getting higher day by day. Many students enrolled in computer science & engineering to excel in their skills in Java programming language subject.

But most of the students have a misconception in their mind that, writing effective & working code is enough to become a good developer but other things matter other than these two. In this way, from the beginning of their Java course, students neglect the most important things and they get stuck while coding. But thanks to Java Coding Help offered by experienced Java tutors online. Coming to the topic, lets discuss about Java Coding Standards & Naming Conventions.

What Are Java Coding Standards & Naming Conventions

Every programming language has a set of specific rules for writing its certain syntax. The set of specific rules is constituted with the help of two terms "Coding Standards" & "Naming Conventions". And Java programming language is no different from that.

The simple meaning of the term Coding Standard implies that while writing the code, a programmer should follow some pattern of syntax. Some elements in the Java code should be described in its particular space, not in any other space. Such instructions are present in the Coding Standard.

The simple meaning of Naming Conventions implies that there will be some proper methods to provide the name of any Java code element. Suppose, you are describing a variable in the code, you can provide any name to the variable. But the naming pattern should follow the instructions of Naming Conventions.

As a Java programmer, you must follow all such instructions. If you do not follow those instructions, your implemented code will not be readable by others. And the development of any software is not a solo task. If your team members aren't able to read & understand the code, the further development of the code will stop. And the maintenance of the software will also be hampered.

Java Coding Standard Best Practices

Use Of Variables

Variables are the main backbone of any kind of programming language. When working on the Java program, a programmer needs to use a set of variables in the piece of code. However the declaration of the variable should be done by following some rules:

1. All the variables should be declared once at the beginning of the code block.
2. No variables should be declared in the middle of the flow in the code.
3. If there is a need to declare a variable while writing the code, scroll up & write it at the beginning.

public static void main(String[] args)
{
int a, b, c, d; // Declaration Of All Integer Variables
}

Use Of Curly Braces

In Java, a pair of curly bracelets is used to define a specific block of code. If you are defining the main function, you have to use the starting & ending pair of curly braces to indicate that space. But using the curly braces in the Java program also has some rules that should be followed:

1. No empty lines should be there after opening the curly brace or before closing the curly brace.
2. The opening & the closing curly brace should be present in a separate line alone.
3. The presence of curly braces should maintain the vertical alignment with the rest of the code.

public static void main(String[] args)
{ // Opening Braces In One Line By Maintaining Alignment
} // Closing Braces In One Line By Maintaining Alignment

Use Of Indentation

Indentation is itself a set of instructions present inside the Java Coding Standard. The indentation is the most important & most difficult thing for a programmer who doesn't care about the look of the code. The rules of the indentation can be the following:

1. All the same kinds of elements in Java like Class, Methods, For Loop, etc. should be vertically aligned.
2. After writing any keyword or elements provide a space there.
3. After using the Semicolons use space after it.
4. In between every block of code, a blank line should be present.
5. After using the operators, use space on both of the sides.

public static void main(String[] args)
{
    Class Example
    {
    }
    for (i=0; i<n; i++)
    {
    }
}

Use Of Comments

Comments are the representative of the programmer that represents the thought & logic to other teammates for writing a specific line. After developing a piece of code provide proper comments there. To provide comments use the following guidelines of the same:

1. For a small line of comment use the // sign after the line itself.
2. For a big comment with few lines use the pair /* & */ before the line that you are explaining.
3. You should not provide comments on every line. Pick up the line that is more important to understand.

public static void main(String[] args)
{
/* Multi-Line
Comment
*/
System.out.println("Hello World"); // Single Line Comment
}

Java Naming Convention Best Practices

Package Names

The names of packages should be lowercase always. The name of the package should define the purpose of the package for which it is being declared. When you start working on behalf of any organization, you can provide the organization name before the package.

Example: package user calculator or package calculator

Class Names

The class names should always be in Camel Case order. Camel Case means the first letter of every word should be capitalized, and the rest should be lower. Also, while defining the name, try to use the Noun forms as classes represent the real-world elements.

Example: class BankCustomer or class UserAccount

Interface Names

Interface names in Java also follow the Camel Case method. That means in this case also, the first letter should always be in capital form. You might use the word capital 'I' before writing the actual name of the interface for indication.

Example: interface Paintable or interface IPaintable

Method Names

There is no proper naming convention present in the methods. You can use mixed kinds of cases to name the methods. The first letter might be lower or upper case. But try to provide the method name as a verb to indicate its purpose of use.

Example: int Taxcalculation or void taxCalculation

Constant Names

In Java, more work has been done with the help of the variables. But sometimes, the use of constants becomes a necessary task. In Java, the constant names are done in the capital letter. All the letters of the name should be mentioned in capital format.

Example: static final void LENGTH or static final int WIDTH