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Topic: descriptive naming

topics > Group: naming

Topic:
denoting phrases and definite descriptions
Topic:
file directory
Topic:
encoded names
Topic:
hierarchical naming
Topic:
hypertext nodes made of names
Topic:
name server or name directory
Topic:
names as abbreviations for descriptions
Topic:
naming conventions
Topic:
software documentation
Topic:
understanding systems
Topic:
unique numeric names as surrogates
Topic:
using a description as a name

Summary

The trend is towards long descriptive names for program documentation and maintenance. A well-chosen name or title reminds us of the purpose, or meaning, of the part being named. This makes it easier to understand a program.

A large number of short mnemonic names tend to make recognition difficult. (cbb 5/80)

Subtopic: descriptive names up

Quote: programming improved by indentation, comments, mnemonic names; but not by structured programming [»pariG_1980]
Quote: a well-chosen name reminds us of the purpose, or meaning, of the part being named [»hehnEC2_1984]
Quote: two levels needed for names: machine-oriented (a bit string) for storage, protection, etc; people-oriented (a mnemonic string) for reading [»watsRW_1981]
Quote: meaningful names important for debugging and when reading someone else's program [»goulJD9_1973]
Quote: use long names; if you can't read it out loud, it's a poor name [»kellD5_1990]
Quote: ML uses compound words to convey complex units of information, e.g., OvenIsHotEnough
Quote: Telesophy made of information units with a label that describes contents [»caplM12_1987]
Quote: an OS6 file index associates names (e.g., 'LinePrinter' and 'Text') with files; a file has two or more associations [»stoyJE3_1972]

Subtopic: suggestions for descriptive names up

Quote: use simple short names for types; e.g., Table, Error, State [»kellD5_1990]
Quote: use a verb for a procedure; if it applies to a type, include the type, e.g., StoreWord, DisplayError [»kellD5_1990]
Quote: use imperative verbs for procedures; nouns for attributes and functions; adjectives or questions for boolean queries [»meyeB9_1990]
Quote: for variables and functions, prefix their type name with an adjective; e.g., FirstState, NextState [»kellD5_1990]
Quote: boolean names should state a predicate, e.g., 'if PrinterIsReady' and '..is..' [»kellD5_1990]
Quote: constants often define a limit; if so, use "Max" as a prefix [»kellD5_1990]

Subtopic: describe resource instead of naming it up

Quote: use intentional names in distributed environments that describe what is needed instead of where to find it [»adjiW12_1999]
Quote: the Intentional Naming System (INS) uses a hierarchy of attributes to locate services and route messages to the appropriate end-nodes [»adjiW12_1999]

Subtopic: symbols vs. words up

Quote: found that unusual symbols often convey meaning better than a reserved word; especially with children [»shocJF9_1979]

Subtopic: UI up

Quote: use copy-paste for descriptive names to avoid unnecessary typing

Subtopic: titles as descriptive names up

Quote: a name for a note is a mnemonic for its contents [»neuwC11_1987]
Quote: display menus of Atom entries using , <content>, and <summary> elements [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-0946-2464">»</a>boswA10_2005] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-1520-0721">Quote</a>: the name of a relationship is a statement of a reason for an association [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-0848-1472">»</a>kentW_1978] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-0465-3787">Quote</a>: in DocumentExaminer, nodes have a type ('variable') and a descriptive name [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-1289-5155">»</a>walkJH11_1987] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-0028-7176">Quote</a>: a Telesophy label consists of a unique number, a description, and cataloging information [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-0119-9363">»</a>caplM12_1987] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-1263-2865">Quote</a>: a Telesophy query produces summaries of each information unit (like titles) [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-1270-0857">»</a>schaBR11_1987] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-1553-0732">Quote</a>: a DSEE task has a title which describes a high-level activity and a list of textual items defining necessary sub-tasks [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-1480-9828">»</a>leblDB5_1984] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-0691-5860">Quote</a>: used ZOG for software management; statement titles are pseudo-code comments for begin-end blocks in Pascal [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-0029-0644">»</a>akscRM5_1984] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-0356-5766">Quote</a>: each NoteCards card contains a title and arbitrary digital information <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-0874-2925">Quote</a>: title cards by short phrases and use NoteCards browser to arrange them [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-1384-8631">»</a>trigRH11_1987] <tr><td><a href="thid-0400-6455-th-1015-6592">Quote</a>: in Compendium, reference entries by their descriptive titles<br> [<a href="thid-0698-8201-th-0161-4408">»</a>glusRJ5_1989] </table></blockquote></th_quotes> <hr><p><a name=topics></a><b>Related Topics</b> <a href="#top"><img alt=up border=0 height=11 width=11 src="../images/up.gif"></a> <blockquote><th_xref><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-0356-3127">Topic</a>: denoting phrases and definite descriptions (21 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-1086-8844">Topic</a>: file directory (55 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-1116-8421">Topic</a>: encoded names (7 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-1243-4586">Topic</a>: hierarchical naming (28 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-1142-9377">Topic</a>: hypertext nodes made of names (13 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-0360-3660">Topic</a>: name server or name directory (40 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-0405-0134">Topic</a>: names as abbreviations for descriptions (35 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-0954-2282">Topic</a>: naming conventions (8 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-1619-3739">Topic</a>: software documentation (64 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-0623-5921">Topic</a>: understanding systems (48 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-1572-5927">Topic</a>: unique numeric names as surrogates (67 items) <br><a href="thid-0513-0671-th-0526-9423">Topic</a>: using a description as a name<br> (21 items) </th_xref> </blockquote> </td></tr></table> <hr><font size=-1> Updated barberCB 4/04<br> Copyright © 2002-2008 by C. Bradford Barber. All rights reserved.<br>Thesa is a trademark of C. Bradford Barber. </font> </body></html>