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Quality terms

29 terms of 1466 total · page 1 of 2

✨ Because working code and good code are not the same thing

Code that works today but cannot be understood, tested, or modified tomorrow is a liability, not an asset. Code quality covers metrics, static analysis, design principles like SOLID and DRY, refactoring techniques, and the habits that separate codebases teams love from ones they dread maintaining. Good quality is not about perfection — it is about making the next change easier than the last.

More on Code Quality history · 6 references · key concepts

History

Software quality emerged as a formal discipline in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by failures in large aerospace and defense projects that exposed the cost of defects. Early pioneers like Barry Boehm and Tom Gilb established metrics and processes to measure and control quality systematically. The rise of object-oriented programming in the 1980s–1990s introduced new design patterns and principles (SOLID, DRY, KISS) aimed at reducing defects through better code structure. The 2000s saw the emergence of automated testing frameworks, continuous integration, and static analysis tools that made quality enforcement scalable. Today, quality is embedded throughout the development lifecycle—from design patterns and code reviews to metrics-driven refactoring, design-by-contract practices, and tooling that catches defects before deployment.

Key concepts

  • Code Smell
  • DRY Principle
  • KISS Principle
  • Coupling
  • Cohesion
  • Long Method
  • God Class
  • Dependency Injection

Best references

🧠 Logic graph · Code Quality
13 edges here
5 verbs used
14 terms touched
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Inline Temp Variable Refactoring
Inline Temp removes a temporary variable used only once when its name adds no clarity — replacing the variable reference with its expression directly.
2mo ago quality beginner
Replace Magic Literal with Symbolic Constant
Magic literals (numbers/strings hardcoded without context) should become named constants — MAX_RETRIES = 3 is self-documenting; the literal 3 is not.
2mo ago quality beginner
Error Suppression Operator (@) PHP 5.0+
Prefixing a PHP expression with @ silently suppresses all errors and warnings it generates — hiding bugs instead of handling them.
3mo ago quality beginner
Missing Return Type Declarations PHP 7.0+
Functions without declared return types lose static analysis coverage, allow type confusion bugs, and make code harder to understand without reading the implementation.
3mo ago quality beginner
Poor Variable Naming
Single-letter variables, cryptic abbreviations, or meaningless names like $data and $tmp — forcing readers to hold context in their head that the name should provide.
3mo ago quality beginner
Unreachable Code PHP 5.0+
Code that can never execute because it follows a return, throw, exit, or an always-true condition — a sign of logic errors or forgotten cleanup.
3mo ago quality beginner
Unused Function PHP 7.0+
A function or method that is defined but never called — dead code that increases maintenance burden and confuses readers about what is part of the active API.
3mo ago quality beginner
Unused Variable PHP 5.0+
A variable that is assigned but never read — indicating a logic error, incomplete refactoring, or unnecessary computation.
3mo ago quality beginner
Boy Scout Rule
Always leave the codebase slightly cleaner than you found it — small, consistent improvements prevent entropy accumulation.
3mo ago quality beginner
Diagram: Code Ownership & CODEOWNERS Code Ownership & CODEOWNERS
CODEOWNERS defines which team members must review changes to specific files or directories — enforcing expertise-based review and preventing unreviewed changes to critical code.
3mo ago quality beginner
Comments as Code Smell
Excessive or explanatory comments often indicate that the code itself is too complex or poorly named to be self-explanatory.
3mo ago quality beginner
Dead Code PHP 5.0+
Code that can never be executed — unreachable after a return, or inside a condition that is always false.
3mo ago quality beginner
Duplicate Code PHP 5.0+
Identical or near-identical blocks of code in multiple places — the most common source of maintenance bugs.
3mo ago quality beginner
Facade Pattern PHP 5.0+
Provides a simplified, unified interface to a complex subsystem, hiding its internal complexity from clients.
3mo ago quality beginner
Fail Fast Principle
Detect and report errors at the earliest possible point rather than allowing invalid state to propagate and cause confusing failures elsewhere.
3mo ago quality beginner
Feature Flag / Feature Toggle PHP 5.0+
A runtime switch that enables or disables features without deploying new code, decoupling deployment from release.
3mo ago quality beginner
Inconsistent Names Smell
Using different terms for the same concept across a codebase — fetchUser vs getUser vs loadUser — increases cognitive load and obscures relationships.
3mo ago quality beginner
KISS Principle PHP 5.0+
Keep It Simple, Stupid — prefer the simplest solution that solves the problem over clever or complex abstractions.
3mo ago quality beginner
Large Class
A class that has grown to accumulate too many responsibilities, fields, and methods — a sign it should be split into focused, cohesive classes.
3mo ago quality beginner
Lazy Class
A class that doesn't do enough to justify its existence — the cost of understanding it exceeds the value it provides.
3mo ago quality beginner
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