{"id":3030,"date":"2024-03-15T16:05:38","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T16:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/?p=3030"},"modified":"2025-07-07T10:57:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T10:57:32","slug":"writing-java-code-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/writing-java-code-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Java coding best practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In today&#8217;s article we will focus on proven and useful tips and tricks for creating quality code, which we at <a href=\"https:\/\/msg-life.sk\/en\/\">msg life<\/a> like to use and which will help you to improve the formatting, structure, readability and functionality of your Java code. <a href=\"https:\/\/msg-life.sk\/en\/articles\/digitization\/coding-tips-beginners\/\">Coding in Java<\/a> becomes enjoyable when we no longer have to worry about how the code looks, but rather about what it does.<\/p>\n<h2>Libraries<\/h2>\n<p>We use software libraries so that we don&#8217;t have to program everything manually.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use third-party libraries only if necessary. If they are not updated, they may be a source of future code vulnerabilities. <\/li>\n<li>Use one testing framework, not more. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/junit.org\/junit5\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">JUnit<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/msgtester.sk\/en\/testng\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TestNG<\/a>. <\/li>\n<li>We recommend using <a href=\"https:\/\/site.mockito.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Mockito<\/a> to simulate functionality in tests.<\/li>\n<li>Several libraries offer very similar methods, pick one library and use that one consistently.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Code formatting<\/h2>\n<p>Proper code formatting is very important because accurate and consistent indentation along with appropriate spacing can make reading and editing code much easier.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Write a single space around the operators on the left and right.<\/li>\n<li>Do not use tabs for indentation; use spaces instead.<\/li>\n<li>Split long lines of code into multiple lines by starting the next line with an operator.<\/li>\n<li>Follow formatting rules consistently across all Java projects.<\/li>\n<li>Take advantage of the features of modern programming environments when formatting code (e.g. automatic formatting).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Packages<\/h2>\n<p>Packages are used to organize related and co-related code.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Always use lower case in package names.<\/li>\n<li>The name of the package must indicate its purpose.<\/li>\n<li>Organize the packages logically into a hierarchical project structure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Annotations<\/h2>\n<p>They provide additional information about the code in the form of metadata.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Limit the use of annotations to make the code cleaner.<\/li>\n<li>When using the @Deprecated annotation, provide both the reason and an alternative in the javadoc comment.<\/li>\n<li>Annotations like @Nonnull and @Nullable should be used sparingly and judiciously.<\/li>\n<li>Use the @VisibleForTesting annotation only temporarily in tests when you need to extend access rights from <em>private<\/em> to <em>package private<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Comments<\/h2>\n<p>They are intended to help clarify the code, therefore:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If the code is written in a simple and understandable style, no comments are necessary.<\/li>\n<li>Don&#8217;t write (or generate) any javadoc for getters and setters.<\/li>\n<li>For (package) private methods, prefer an implementation note and avoid writing javadoc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Exceptions<\/h2>\n<p>We use them for unexpected situations in code.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Use unchecked exceptions to make the code more flexible.<\/li>\n<li>Use the predefined JDK exception types and avoid creating your own.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Naming<\/h2>\n<p>We try to choose appropriate titles that reflect the purpose and importance of the individual parts of the program.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Avoid abbreviations and choose meaningful names.<\/li>\n<li>Use adverbs for <em>boolean<\/em> variables (e.g. disabled)<\/li>\n<li>For other types and variables, use nouns (e.g. ArrayList (class), element (variable)).<\/li>\n<li>For methods, use verbs (e.g. add, remove).<\/li>\n<li>In the method name, indicate the intention of the method (e.g. calculateSpeed). <\/li>\n<li>Be precise, e.g. instead of the general variable time for storing time in hours, it is better to use timeInHours). <\/li>\n<li>Avoid duplication (e.g. instead of addElement(element), use add(element)).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Methods<\/h2>\n<p>Methods form the basic unit of code in Java, so it is important to follow best practices when writing them.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A method should solve only one problem (follow the <em>Single Responsibility Principle<\/em>).<\/li>\n<li>Each method should have a clear single purpose.<\/li>\n<li>Well-structured code contains short methods (ideally fewer than 15 lines). If a method is longer, there should be a good reason. <\/li>\n<li>Avoid repetition.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid changing the input to the method; instead, calculate the output.<\/li>\n<li>If you need to modify the input parameter, indicate this in the method name (e.g., prefix with update.<\/li>\n<li>Use functional programming and modern APIs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Interfaces<\/h2>\n<p>Interfaces define rules that need to be implemented by classes.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t use interfaces if they aren\u2019t needed.<\/li>\n<li>If only one class will use the interface, its use becomes meaningless.<\/li>\n<li>Apply the <em>Interface Segregation Principle<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Design interfaces for specific purposes, avoiding generic interfaces.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Classes<\/h2>\n<p>Classes are the basic building blocks of any Java application.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Each class should handle only one specific concept or functionality.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid creating multi-functional classes that do everything.<\/li>\n<li>Decide whether your class will focus on data or data manipulation. For example, a data class maintains state (e.g., Matrix). A class focused on working with data defines behaviour (e.g., MultiplicationService). <\/li>\n<li>Prefer private methods. Use public methods only when necessary for interaction with the outside world. <\/li>\n<li>Avoid the protected modifier in tests, use package-private instead. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We hope these tips and tricks will help you write cleaner, clearer, and more efficient Java code. If you&#8217;re a <a href=\"https:\/\/msg-life.sk\/en\/jobs\/java-programmer-senior\/\">Java developer<\/a> looking for work, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/msg-life.sk\/en\/benefits\/\">employee benefits<\/a> and respond to our<a href=\"https:\/\/msg-life.sk\/en\/jobs\/\"> job offers<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Useful tips and tricks to help you improve the formatting, structure, readability, functionality, and quality of your Java code writing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2922,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-java"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3030","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3030"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5297,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3030\/revisions\/5297"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3030"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/msgprogramator.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}