"Code complete" is the phrase used by programmers to announce the completion of a software program. Drawing its examples from a variety of computer languages, this book focuses on programming technique rather than the requirements of a specific programming language or environment. Steve McConnell developed True Type and Windows for the Microsoft Corporation. Topics include: front-end planning, applying good design techniques to construction, using data effectively, using common and advanced control structures, secrets of self-documenting code, testing and debugging techniques, improving performance with code tuning, managing construction activities, and relating personal character to the development of superior software.
A modern-day classic on software engineering,
Code Complete focuses on specific practices you can use to improve your code and your ability to debug it--and ultimately deliver better, more efficient programs in less time. With every bit of advice the book proffers you'll improve your ability to write elegant, self-documenting, maintainable software. McConnell doesn't focus on the idiosyncrasies of any single language, but on the general issues developers face: naming subroutines and variables in meaningful ways, designing control structures, finding and correcting errors in code, and many, many more.
Code Complete is packed with code samples demonstrating good and bad programming practices and checklists that you can use to vet your own work.
From the author's preface: "My primary concern in writing this book has been to narrow the gap between the knowledge of industry gurus and professors on one hand and common commercial practice on the other. Although leading-edge software-development practice has advanced rapidly in recent years, common practice hasn't. Many programs are still buggy, late, and over budget, and many fail to satisfy the needs of users. The research and programming experience collected in this book will help you to create high-quality software and do your work more quickly and with fewer problems."
From the publisher: "Whatever your background--experienced developer, self-taught programmer, or programming student--this ingeniously organised handbook contains state-of-the-art information that can help you write better programs in less time with fewer headaches. Code Complete is not a panacea, but it is an encyclopedic treatment of software construction, the most important part of the software-development cycle. It contains some 500 examples of code (good and bad) and includes ready-to-use checklists to help you assess your architecture, design approach, and module and routine quality.
Perhaps most important of all, Code Complete provides a larger perspective on the software-development process and the role of construction in the process that will inform and stimulate your thinking about your own projects, enabling you to take strategic action rather than fight the same battles again and again.
The concepts discussed in Code Complete are applicable to any procedural language in any computing environment. --Amazon.com
