CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown • Hacker News Board

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#31

Post by hga » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:02 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #6

I really like underscores for two word variable names. It only becomes a problem when you have variable names which are overly long, and your eyes have to move further. if(Accounts_Orders_Invoices_Table.Order_Invoice_Number == Order_Invoice_Number){ ...} if(AccountsOrdersInvoicesTable.OrderInvoiceNumber == OrderInvoiceNumber){ ... } But I don't really care that much. I'll just do whatever everyone else is doing. At l…

Agreed, although I still find '_' to be a lot more clear.

Lisps, by not reserving '-', and following convention:

  (println are-the-clearest-and-easiest-for-me)

Also see my other comment.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#32

Post by murbard2 » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:07 PM UTC

An argument pro underscore: they can be displayed with 50% transparency, making them visible, yet not interfering with the reading of the identifier as much.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#33

Post by fnordsensei » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:08 PM UTC

I wonder how kebab-case would do. When available, I prefer it.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#34

Post by mturmon » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:10 PM UTC

For math, underscores evoke the "_ is subscript" convention of TeX. That can be a good thing, e.g.

  err_total = err_intrinsic + err_extrinsic

which might mirror the notation in a paper that the code implements.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#35

Post by Demiurge » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:10 PM UTC

I don't think they are exclusive? I use CamelCase for object oriented methods, classes and under_scores for procedural code and temporary variables.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#36

Post by teamhappy » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:10 PM UTC

Underscores win. Having said that; if your standard lib chose camels, that's probably what you should be choosing too. Consistency is the most important criteria.

I personally favour the C-style fuck-it-all naming scheme:

    else if (like) {
      likelowbar = true;
      vote(lowbarfmt);
    }

The narrower the columns, the easier it is for me to comprehend the algorithm. It also makes for great method names. Say "isatty" three times; it's fun, isn't it?

// BTW: I don't believe anyone telling me they can read camels more efficiently. Underscores add contrast, which aids your vision quite a bit.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#37

Post by wyager » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:13 PM UTC

Let's not pretend this is anything other than an aesthetic choice. All these "scientific" arguments one way or the other are weak at best.

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#38

Post by dubya » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:14 PM UTC

Someone1234 wrote: post #6

I really like underscores for two word variable names. It only becomes a problem when you have variable names which are overly long, and your eyes have to move further. if(Accounts_Orders_Invoices_Table.Order_Invoice_Number == Order_Invoice_Number){ ...} if(AccountsOrdersInvoicesTable.OrderInvoiceNumber == OrderInvoiceNumber){ ... } But I don't really care that much. I'll just do whatever everyone else is doing. At l…

If it's really a problem, couldn't you map maybe shift-space to underscore?

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#39

Post by ll123 » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:14 PM UTC

smhenderson wrote: post #7

Try choosing independently of (language) convention, habit or type of the identifiers. That's the non-starter for me right there. I use whatever convention makes sense in the context of what I'm doing. Language, library and previous code in an existing project all dictate my choice in this matter.

What if you're inventing a new language and need to set the convention?

Re: CamelCase vs. underscores: Scientific showdown

#40

Post by 64bitbrain » Tue, Mar 03, 2015, 5:17 PM UTC

When I am writing C, I tend to use underscore. I think I just follow the convention, or the code that already exists. Imagine the some part of the code written in camelCase and other used underscore.

//This wont look good :)

int static set_my_config(char* data);

int static getMyConfig();