c-coding-standards-and-best-programming-practices.ppt

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C# Coding Standards And Best
Programming Practices
Compiled Version of Coding Best Practices Articles on Web + my experience
- Kiran Patil

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Who am I?
 Having more than 4 years of experience
Working on MS technologies Especially
.NET.
 Holding MCP,
MCTS,
MCTS-Windows,
MCTS-Web,
MCPD,
MCPD-Web Certifications.
 INETA APAC Content Manager and
Publisher.
 Active on MS Forums.
 Passionate C#.NET Programmer.
 A “student” strive to learn anything new 

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Inception
• Anybody can write a ‘working code’. But to write ‘Efficient Code’ it requires more
work.
• To write ‘Efficient Code’ you have to read loads of books and have some years of
experience.
• I’ve just compiled this document from books I’ve read and years of experience I
have. (following Don’t repeat yourself principle).
• You might be thinking why PPT not document? Initially I also thought to create a
document. But document sounds bit boring and PPT sounds bit interesting and
fun!. That’s what I think “Coding should be fun!“
(following Keep it simple and stupid principle)
• The coding standard presented next has best practices which should be followed.
• This document is not Bible. We will keep updating it as we keep learning.
• Efficient code should be
– Easily understandable
– Easily Maintainable
– Efficient

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Naming Conventions and
Standards
• Why?
• Use Pascal Casing for Class/Type names, Constants, and Method names.

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Standards – Contd..
• Use camel casing for local variable names, and method parameters.

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• Interface names should be prefix with “I” and follow Pascal Casing

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• Do not use Hungarian notation to name variables. For example:
– string strEmployeeName;
– int nEmployeeAge;
• To identify member variables follow camel casing as shown earlier.
• Use Meaningful, descriptive words to name variables.
– Do not use abbreviations or contractions as parts of identifier names. For example, use
OnButtonClick rather than OnBtnClick.
• Name method names using verb-object pair, such as ShowEmployee().

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• Do not use single character variable names, such as i , j, k etc. instead of that use
Index or Counter for example:
for (int counter = 0; counter < count; counter ++)
{
……..
}
• Methods with return values should have a describing name the value it returns.
E.g. GetEmployee().
• Suffix custom exception classes with Exception.
• Suffix custom attribute classes with Attribute.

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• Prefix boolean variables with “is”. E.g. isEmployeeDeleted.
• While naming Namespace follow the standard:
– <company name>.<product name>.<top level module>.<bottom level
module> e.g. MyCompany.CMS.Web.Controls
• Avoid fully qualified namespace for Type. Good to use Using Statement.
• Using Statements should be sort by framework namespaces and then other
namespaces.

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• File name and class name should be same.
• Use Pascal Casing for file name. Keep related Class files in single Class Library.
• Declare local variable as close as possible for its first use.
• All Member variables should be declared at the top, with one line separating them
from Properties and Methods.

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Control Prefix
Form frm
Label lbl
TextBox txt
DataGrid dtg
Button btn
ImageButton imb
HyperLink hlk
DropDownList ddl
ListBox lst
DataList dtl
GridView gvw
• UI elements (Whether it is under Windows/ASP.NET) should use appropriate
prefix so that you can identify them easily.
– Brief list given here – you can create your own!
Control Prefix
Repeater rep
Checkbox chk
CheckBoxList cbl
RadioButton rdo
RadioButtonList rbl
Image img
Panel pnl
PlaceHolder phd
Table tbl
Validators val

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Indentation, spacing and
comments
• Curly braces should be at the same level.
• Use one blank line to separate logical groups of code.
• There should be one and only one single blank line between each method inside
the class.

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comments – Contd..
• Use #region to group related pieces of code together. (To Collapse region – CTRL +
M + O and To Expand region – CTRL + M + P)

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• Use TAB for Spaces and Do not use SPACES. Define the Tab Size as 4 (Tools |
Options | Text Editor | <language> | Tabs)
• Comments should be in the same level as the code (use the same level of
indentation).

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• Comments are great piece of document. It makes code more maintainable.
• All Comments should pass spell checking.
• Use // or /// for comments. Avoid using /* … */ -- Xml Documentation
• Write comments whenever required. But if you have followed naming standards
and best practices which makes your code more readable requires less comments.
• Do not write the comment if code is easily understandable. Because if you update
the code and forgot to update the comments it will lead to confusion.
• If you have to write some complex logic, document it very well with sufficient
comments.
• For all special implementation in your code. Do comment it!
• While writing comments make sure proper grammar and punctuation has been
used.

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• Class file and Class/namespace should have a one-to-one relationship.
• Avoid long methods. Define some limit(e.g. 200 lines) if method goes beyond the
limit then it’s time to refactor it!
• Method should not have more than 5 arguments. Use structures for passing
multiple arguments.
• Method name should tell what it does. Do not use mis-leading names. If the
method name is obvious, there is no need of documentation explaining what the
method does.
• Avoid comments that explain the obvious. Code should be self-explanatory. Good
code with readable variable and method names should not require comments.
• Document only operational assumptions, algorithm insights and so on.
Coding Best Practices

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Coding Best Practices – Contd..
• A method should have only ‘single responsibility'. Do not combine more than one
responsibility in a single method, even if those responsibilities are very small. -
Example
• Always watch for unexpected values. For example, if you are using a parameter
with 2 possible values, never assume that if one is not matching then the only
possibility is the other value.

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• Do not hardcode number. Use constants instead. Are you sure value should be
declared as constant/config? - Example
• Convert strings to lowercase or upper case before comparing. This will ensure the
string will match even if the string being compared has a different case.
• Use string.Empty instead of “”

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• Avoid sharing member variables amongst methods. Better to declare local
variables and pass it to other methods. Sharing member variables may lead to
confusion. - Example
• Use enum wherever required. Do not use numbers or strings to indicate discrete
values. – Example
– For Readability and Maintainability.
– Better error-checking and compiler warnings.

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• Do not make the member variables public or protected. Keep them private and
expose public/protected Properties.
• Never hardcode a path or drive name in code. Get the application path
programmatically and use relative path.
• In the application start up, do some kind of "self check" and ensure all required
files and dependencies are available in the expected locations. Check for database
connection in start up, if required. Give a friendly message to the user in case of
any problems.
• If a wrong value found in the configuration file, application should throw an error
or give a message and also should tell the user what are the correct values.
• Error messages should help the user to solve the problem. Never give error
messages like "Error in Application", “object reference not set to an instance of an
object" etc. Instead give specific messages like “Failed to connect to database.
Please ensure that database server is on." - Example
• Show short and friendly message to the user. But log the actual error with all
possible information. This will help a lot in diagnosing problems.

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• Avoid having very large files. If a single file has more than 1000 lines of code, it is a
good candidate for refactoring. Split them logically into two or more files using
Partial. – Example
• Method which returns collection object. If no data found then it should always
return empty collection -- To reduce chance of error. – Example
• Use the AssemblyInfo file to fill information like version number, description,
company name, copyright notice etc. – Example
• Use Powerful, configurable and flexible Logging class heavily! - Log4Net fits in this
picture. – Example

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• If your code opens database connection/socket/file/stream then close them in
finally block.– Example
• When manipulating string use StringBuilder instead of String – for better
performance.
• Avoid ToString() and use Convert.ToString() Method.
• Before using any instance method/properties always check that object is not null.

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• Every line of code should be tested in a “white box” testing matter.
• Avoid function calls in Boolean conditional statements. Assign in to local variables
and check them.
• Always Mark public and protected methods as virtual in a non-sealed class.

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• Avoid Explicit casting. Use the as operator to defensively cast to a type.
• Use the base and this wisely.

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Database Best Practices
• Never hard-code connection string. Always declare connection string in
configuration file [app.config/web.config] and use it from there only.
• Avoid SQL Server authentication. Use Windows Authentication instead.
• Always use Stored procedures and avoid to use SQL Statements in the code. -- SQL
Statements eats your network bandwidth.
• Batch operation should be atomic. So, always use Transaction for this type of
operations. [If either task fails, the both operations should be rolled back.]

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Database Best Practices – Contd..
• Don’t put complex business logic inside the stored procedure. It should go under
Business Logic Layer.
• For installing database on client machine create installer scripts using sqlcmd.
• To avoid SQL Injection never write direct SQL statements in the code. Instead of
that use SQL Parameters and stored procedures.

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ASP.NET Best Practices
• Avoid single file model(.aspx) and follow code-behind model(.aspx|.aspx.cs).

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ASP.NET Best Practices – Contd..
• Do not use session variables throughout the code. Use session variables only
within the classes and expose methods to access the value stored in the session
variables. A class can access the session using
System.Web.HttpContext.Current.Session

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• Do not store large objects in session. Storing large objects in session may consume
lot of server memory depending on the number of users.
• Do not store large objects in View State. It will increase page load time.
• ASP.NET Code should not contain any business logic. It should call a business logic
component.
• Use Style sheet for providing consistent look and feel to an application.
• Handle exceptions gracefully use global exception handling [Page_Error Or
Application_Error].– Example
• Don’t use absolute paths – until and unless you have strong reason to do so. Prefer
to use Server.MapPath(“~/…..”);
• Avoid Copy – Pasting same code everywhere. Better to put them in Base Class or
create new utility class.

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• Create Base Page for your application and all your pages/web forms should be
derived from your Base Page.
• If possible, follow the same concept while using ASP.NET Web Server Controls. E.g.
TextBox, DropDownList etc.
• Always have the mock-up screens of all forms before your eyes. And do
brainstorming session in team to make reusable components out of them. [
WebControl(.dll) / UserControl(.ascx)]

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• If you are going to render some value on page from un trusted source then you
should use HtmlEncode method. – This is called XSS attack.
• Avoid writing complex logic in JavaScript. JS Should be used to provide rich
experience to an end user. And always keep in mind “JS is Disabled scenario”.
• Cookies should not store large values[Limit – 4096 bytes] And always keep in mind
“Cookies are Disabled scenario”.
• Always keep in mind your deployment plan. And your deployment should be easy
(Precompiled,Xcopy,WebSetup).

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Exception Handling and Logging
• Always “Expect the unexpected”. We all developers think that my code has no
exception. But when it goes live something comes up and we spend our whole day
figuring out what went wrong. So, always catch and log the exception.
• Never put empty try…catch.
• In case of exceptions, give a friendly message to the user, but log the actual error
with all possible details about the error, including the time it occurred, method
and class name etc.
• Don’t catch generic exceptions. To handle them use Global Error Handling

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Exception Handling and Logging –
Contd..
• Always catch exceptions from specific to generic. - Example
• While re throwing an exception use throw statement which will preserve original
stack trace.
• Always log the exceptions[Log4Net!] and critical business
operations[Database/Any other data source].
• Avoid very large try-catch blocks. Put each task in one try—catch block. This will
help you find which piece of code generated the exception and you can give
specific error message to the user.

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Visual Studio IDE Tips and Tricks
• Editing
– Collapses existing regions to provide a high-level view of the types and
members (CTRL + M + O)
– Removes all outlining information from the whole document. (CTRL + M + P)
– Toggles the currently selected collapsed region. (CTRL + M + M)
– Inserts // at the beginning of the current line or every line of the current
selection. (CTRL + K + C)
– Removes the // at the beginning of the current line or every line of the current
selection. (CTRL + K + U)
– Formats the current document according to the indentation and code
formatting settings specified on the Formatting pane under Tools | Options |
Text Editor | C#. (CTRL + K + D)

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Visual Studio IDE Tips and Tricks
• Editing – Contd..
– Pastes text from the Clipboard ring to the cursor location in the file.
Subsequent use of the shortcut key iterates through the items in the Clipboard
ring. (CTRL + SHIFT + V)
– Displays the available options on the smart tag menu.(CTRL + .)
• Intellisense
– Displays the available options on the smart tag menu. (CTRL + K + I)
– Causes a visible completion list to become transparent. (CTRL)
• Debugging
– Conditional Debug
– Launch in Debug Mode (F5)
– Launch without Debug Mode (CTRL + F5)
– Sets or removes a breakpoint at the current line (F9)
– To Remove all breakpoints (CTRL + SHIFT + F9)

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Visual Studio IDE Tips and Tricks –
Contd..
• Navigation
– Displays a list of all references for the symbol selected (CTRL + K + R)
– Moves the cursor location to the matching brace in the source file (CTRL + ])
– Navigates to the declaration for the selected symbol in code (F12)
– Moves to the previously browsed line of code (CTRL + -)
– Displays the selected item in Code view of the editor (F7)
– Switches to Design view for the current document. Available only in Source
view (SHIFT + F7)
– Switches to Source view for the current document. Available only in Design
view (SHIFT + F7)
– Displays the Quick tab of the Find and Replace dialog box (CTRL + F)
– Displays the Go To Line dialog box (CTRL + G)

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Contd..
• Window
– Displays the Class View window (CTRL + W + C)
– Displays the Class Definition window (CTRL + W + D)
– Displays the Error List window (CTRL + W + E)
– Displays the Object Browser (CTRL + W + J)
– Displays Solution Explorer, which lists the projects and files in the current
solution (CTRL + W + S)
– Displays the Task List window (CTRL + W + T)
– Closes the current tool window (SHIFT + ESC)
– Closes the current tab (CTRL + F4)
– Displays the IDE Navigator, with the first document window selected (CTRL +
TAB)

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Contd..
• Refactoring
– Displays the Encapsulate Field dialog box, which allows creation of a property
from an existing field and updates all references to use the new property (CTRL
+ R + E)
– Displays the Extract Method dialog box, which allows creation of a new
method from the selected code (CTRL + R + M)
– Displays the Remove Parameters dialog box, which allows removal of
parameters from methods, indexers, or delegates by changing the declaration
at any locations where the member is called (CTRL + R + V)
– Displays the Rename dialog box, allows renaming all references for an identifier
(CTRL + R + R/F2)
– Displays the Reorder Parameters dialog box, which allows changes to the order
of the parameters for methods, indexers, and delegates (CTRL + R + O)

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Contd..
• Snippets
– Class (class | TAB | TAB)
– Constructor (ctor | TAB | TAB)
– Windows - Message Box (mbox | TAB |TAB)
– Console – WriteLine (cw | TAB | TAB)
– Property – (prop | TAB | TAB)
– For more snippets ( CTRL + K + X)
• Build
– Builds all the projects in the solution (F6 / CTRL + SHIFT + B)
– Builds the selected project and its dependencies (SHIFT + F6)
• My Favorites
– Enum and Switch case

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Revision History
• As I said earlier this document is not Hard-Coded. Anyone can amend his/her
changes anytime. If you are going to do so (Really great idea!) then please update
the revision history with following details. So, anybody can distinguish between
your changes
Sr. No. Date Time Changed By Description
1 11/19/2009 2:32:20 PM Kiran Patil Initial Draft

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Q and A
The important thing is not to stop questioning. - Albert Einstein

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Resources
• C# Coding Standards and Best Programming Practices from
http://www.dotnetspider.com
• IDesign C# Coding Standard 2.32 By Juval Lowy(www.idesign.net)
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/xzf533w0(VS.71).aspx
• My Experience

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Thank you!
http://kiranpatils.wordpress.com – for new stuff
http://twitter.com/kiranpatils
Provide your invaluable feedback here :
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SX2RJKD
Happy Coding! 
-Kiran Patil
klpatil@hotmail.com
http://kiranpatils.wordpress.com/

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