This document is aimed at front-end developers who want to become more effective and more productive with the way to write and organize their style sheets. While author expects the reader to keep an open mind (and experience those guidelines as a whole at least once without adaptation), the reader must use his•her own judgement and are encouraged use those guidelines as a foundation for their own adapted guidelines in a pragmatic fashion.
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Readability
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Maintainability
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Modularity
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Scalability
Readability is the ease with which a reader can understand a written text. Used within the domain of computer science, it’s the quality of a code file that allows users to easily understand the logic. Things such as choice data structures, choice of names, and formatting conventions influences the readability quality. [1]
Maintainability is the ease with which a product can be maintained in order to, but not restricted to [2]:
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fix bugs,
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repair or replace faulty or outdated components without having to replace still working parts,
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meet new requirements, or
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make future maintenance easier
Modularity is the degree to which a system may be separated and recombined by building it with standardized units or dimensions for flexibility and variety in use. [3]
In modular programming, standardized units are independent, interchangeable modules, such that each contains everything necessary to execute only one aspect of a desired functionality. [4]
The ability of a system to adapt and being easily expanded or upgraded on demand. [5]
Guidelines, practices, rules, and overall ideas presented here were brought together by Patrick P. Henley (a.k.a. ab18556). It represents his own styling guide used daily and fine-tuned, refined, polished and refactored over the years.
This document has been edited and formatted by Samuel D. Sirois (a.k.a. ssirois).