hacking and gonzo since 2000

Code smell

Here are some simple tips on how to improve your code. It's really common sense...

Uses indention and spaces

Using indention and spacing can improve code readability a lot.

In CSS instead of this:

.floater {
position:absolute;
bottom:0;
}

Do this:

.floater {
    position: absolute;
    bottom: 0;
}

Don't invent your own wild style

I stumbled upon this today:

function freezeEvent(e) {
if (e.preventDefault) e.preventDefault();
e.returnValue = false;
e.cancelBubble = true;
if (e.stopPropagation) e.stopPropagation();
return false;
}//freezeEvent

IMO it's unreadable - especially since this style is used in a 500 lines long JavaScript file and the author switches between different styles. Structure your code similar to this:

function freezeEvent(e) {
    if(e.preventDefault) 
        e.preventDefault();

    e.returnValue = false;
    e.cancelBubble = true;

    if(e.stopPropagation)
        e.stopPropagation();
    return false;
}

Code · Code improvement · Design · Interesting · JavaScript · Tips • 12. Jan 2008