Instruction file imported from AIDDbot/ArchetypeCSharpCLI (.github/instructions/bst_clean-code.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.

Clean Code Practices

Best practices for writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code across any programming language.

[!NOTE] The term function is used for any callable code block, including methods and procedures.

Intentional naming

• Use fully descriptive names for variables and functions.
• Start with a verb in every function and flag variables (like is, has, can...).
• Avoid magic numbers and strings by declaring named constants.

Avoid complexity

• Divide complex instructions into steps.
• Use early return guards for invalid (fail-fast principle) or trivial cases.
• Extract inner blocks of conditional or repetitive code to functions.

Short functions or methods

• Keep them small and focused.
• Keep parameters to a minimum by using objects or tuples (avoid primitive obsession).
• Separate pure functions from functions with side effects.

Structure the data

• Prefer structures over primitives.
• Prefer composition over inheritance.
• Place validations near the definitions.

More cohesion, less coupling

• Place together things that change together.
• Show behavior, hide implementation details.
• Wrap external dependencies with adapters.

Dependencies

• Keep dependencies to a minimum.
• One and only one direction of dependencies.
• One and only one level of dependencies (don't talk to strangers).

Principles

• YAGNI: You ain't gonna need it (do the minimum).
• KISS: Keep it simple, stupid (do the simplest thing that could work).
• DRY: Don't repeat yourself (do the same thing once, use it everywhere).