A Programmer's Grammar
09 Feb 2025
In the Past
Hearing grammar in programming sounds trivial. When I think of grammar when it comes to coding my projects, I think, “You mean syntaxes?”. Back in highschool when I used to tinker in VSCode, I would fix every area in my code that had a red highlight. Every code repair led me to understand the content of coding, and the contents of each topic. The project itself was customized in my own style, because as long as I could understand the code according to my own observation, it was acceptable.
In the Present
As I continue to code, I was given the opportunity to try out an extension called ESLint that could assist in my coding format. Soon later, more errors started to scatter around my coding projects. Even the older coding projects that I applied ESLint to also gave thrice the amount of errors that I found previously. For me, it was a mood-killer and also humbled my ego, as I was very confident in my coding, as I could not believe the amount of errors that appeared on seemingly an efficient code. Though, when I went to fix each error, I got a little frustrated. Many of the errors were little things such as forgetting to put a newline at the end of the code, or forgetting to add a semicode. I found it annoying since I was used to coding in my own format that makes it much easier for me to understand the code I write.
In the Future
However, within the first week of using ESLint, there was one idea that I speculated were such a reason for me to fix such trivial errors. Especially when working with collaborators, it is also important not to think of yourself but also of your peers who are also working with you. If they are unable to understand the code that you write, then it can be a hassle for them and would have to rely on you. Having a good grammar in coding shows that everyone in your group will also be in the same page and also follow the same book as you.
Coding is essentially possible for anyone to tinker with. Anyone has the ability to code. Working with a team though requires good communication and collaboration. A good grammar provides an efficient communication, and collaborators will follow what you are doing in every step of the way.