Details and Discipline
11 Feb 2026
What? More Rules?
Recently, with the addition of VSCode, we have also implemented coding standards into our learning through ESLint. With said implementation brings back a memory from my first semester, when I would think, “What does it matter what my code looks like? I’m the only who sees it.” Now, in my fourth semester as of writing this, I can say my opinion on this topic has changed drastically. Coding standards are pretty important when building programs and have helped me learn topics on a deeper level.
How It Has Helped
First and foremost, coding standards help me break down old beginner habits and replace them with more effective ones. More specifically, I was fine with my code being inconsistent. I would have random white spaces some places, and not have them in other places where the situations match. I would also be inconsistent with my spacing as I’d space after some parentheses but not others. Writing with coding standards help me catch these inconsistencies and make my code much more neat. Not only that, but coding standards also ensure my code is structured in a way that makes sense. ESLint also makes sure to let me know my mistakes and potential problems. Instead of attempting to find these problems later by myself, ESLint makes sure to give immediate feedback as to check my work.
I also find that writing in standardized code makes it easier for not only yourself to read, but for others as well. This will be important when eventually we will be working in teams where other people can see the code you write. A nicely formatted and neat code will help them get a better understanding of your work.
First Week With ESLint
My first impressions of ESLint are that it was very different from how I was writing code before. Prior, I found myself much more sloppy and inconsistent. Especially, in cases where I had to write smaller code as I am much more rash to complete the task at hand. Now, no matter the length, I find myself slowing down and paying closer attention to how I write my code, how it is structured, and how it is presented. Another one of the impressions I had with ESLint is the amount of red that I see while writing code. It is almost as if it is yelling at me to fix these problems. It felt like I was doing nothing right until my code was finished and it finally all comes together.
I find that getting rid of all the ESLint errors is both very painful and useful. First of all, like I said before, coding standards are very necessary in the learning and building of a program. These standards help us get as close to perfect as possible, which ties into my next point. Trying to get as close as possible to perfection takes a lot of time. Eventually with enough time on ESLint we will get fewer and fewer errors and we will get used to writing neat code. For now, we are just going to have to struggle with a screen of red until we get it right the next time.