Cleaning up codes w/ ESLint

26 Sep 2024

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When coding, I feel like for a while I was only ever focused on if and how the code was run and if it translated the desired output while completely disregarding how each line was formatted. Thinking back, I knew quite a few people who also did the same thing and I believe that it was possibly due to the fact that we weren’t necessarily graded on the style or formatting of the code but rather on the outcome. If the code was runnable and the machine could understand it, it did not matter if it was ugly and disorganized.

After a week of using ESLint with VSCode, I think that at first I saw the ESLint errors as an optional and sort of hassle to take care and get rid of. However, after taking a closer look at the errors and taking time to fix them, I could definitely see the difference that it made when it came to the overall look and organization of the code. One thing that I did like about ESLint in VSCode was that it was very easy to fix the errors based on the information that it provided, such as the specific line and column that was making the error show up. By taking time to fix the formatting using the tools given to us, we are able to make it a little easier for us and also our future collaborators to understand the code and general outline better than if it was just a jumbled mess.

In conclusion, I do agree that some coding standards can help you learn a programming language. By following these standards, we are able to focus on both the programming and design aspect that comes with software engineering.