HydroDesktop Good Coding Practices

This will be a page that lists some best practices

General

Directories

Use the HydroDekstop methods. If you need a directory, ask if it can be added. That way if we change them

• project
  • Apply to a specific project
• User Settings (aka User/AppData/...)
  • HydroDesktop.Configuration.Settings.Instance.
  • This get's buried deep. Do we want to have
• application
  • HydroDesktop.Configuration.Settings.Instance.
  • read, avoid writing
• temp
  • HydroDesktop.Configuration.Settings.Instance.
  • clean up after yourself

Fixed Strings

In order to allow for customization, item names, like the name of a plug-in (or in the future label names) should be stored in a location that can be edited .Net provides two types:

• settings.settings (will become app.config or xxx.dll.config)

• resources

• string resource Examples

  • Items like the name of the plug-in

• settings examples

If you have a filename or directory, Use .NetSettings settings

Reading files

make a method to read a file from disk. If the location of the file changes, it will be easier to find.

Refactoring

• In Forms
  • Avoid including methods that do processing in the form code.
  • move these methods to classes
  • Use an object to abstract the information on the form into a single object.
    • Eg the search form has an object, Search Criteria. A method called GetCrieria reads the information from the form
  • if you need to display an error message consider throwing an exception or creating an event
  • If you find yourself copying code, or duplicating code that manages states of a group of controls, make a method that manages the state of those controls
• An object, and moving processing outside of the form allows for easier testing.
  • You can create use cases for the object, and pass them to the processing methods.