Software Engineering | Programming Style | Coding Standards and Guidelines

Programming style, also known as coding style, is a set of coding rules or guidelines used when writing the source code for a computer program. Coding style refers to the technique used in writing the source code for a computer program.

Following a particular coding style will help programmers quickly read and understands the program as well as avoid making errors. Programmers spend an enormous amount of time reading and studying code when they are writing, testing, and debugging their programs. Using good programming style allows this process to proceed much more easily.

Good software development organizations normally require their programmers to maintain some well-defined and standard style of coding called coding standards. They usually formulate their own standards and guidelines on what suits their organization best and based on the types of software they develop. It is very important for the programmers to maintain the coding standards otherwise the code will be rejected during code review.

Writing an efficient software code requires a thorough knowledge of programming. This knowledge can be implemented by following a coding style which comprises several guidelines that help in writing the software code efficiently and with minimum errors. These guidelines, known as coding guidelines, are used to implement individual programming language constructs, comments, formatting, and so on. These guidelines, if followed, help in preventing errors, controlling the complexity of the program, and increasing the readability and understandability of the program.


The developers should be aware of the coding guidelines before starting a software project. Moreover, coding guidelines should state how to deal with the existing code when the software incorporates it or when maintenance is performed.

If coding guidelines are used in a proper manner, errors can be detected at the time of writing the software code. Such detection in early stages helps in increasing the performance of the software as well as reducing the additional and unplanned costs of correcting and removing errors. Moreover, if a well-defined coding guideline is applied, the program yields a software system that is easy to comprehend and maintain.

FAQ: 

1. What is coding style in software engineering?