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Software Engineering vocabulary · Code Review and Code Quality

Readable

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

/ˈriːdəbl/adjectiveCore term

In software engineering, readable means: Easy for another person to read and understand quickly, thanks to clear names, a simple structure and short functions.

In Turkish: okunabilir, anlaşılır

How it is used

One of the most common words in code reviews: 'more readable', 'hard to read', 'for readability'. Readable code is usually preferred over clever code. The noun is readability.

Example sentences

  1. Splitting this into two functions would make it much more readable.

  2. I renamed a few variables for readability; the logic is unchanged.

Common collocations

  • more readable
  • readable code
  • for readability
  • improve readability
  • clean codeCode that is simple, clearly named, well organized and easy for others to read, test and change, rather than code that only works.
  • naming conventionAn agreed set of rules for how to name things in code, such as variables, files and branches, so that names look consistent across a project.
  • maintainableEasy to understand, fix and extend over a long time, even by developers who did not write the original code.
  • refactorTo improve the structure of existing code, making it cleaner or easier to change, without changing what it does for the user.

More terms: Code Review and Code Quality

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