The Old Monk Coders Guide

🧙‍♂️ The Old Monk Coder’s Guide: Timeless Methods & Principles for Zen-Like Programming 🏯

“The wise programmer writes code that lasts, not just code that works.”

In the fast-paced world of coding, it’s easy to get lost in trends, hacks, and quick fixes. But the true masters—the Old Monk Coders—know that real wisdom lies in timeless methods and principles. These practices make your code clean, maintainable, and almost magical ✨.

Let’s channel our inner coding monks and explore the sacred teachings. 🧘‍♂️

1. The Principle of Least Surprise (POLS) 🤔

“Code should do what it says, and say what it does.”

An Old Monk Coder writes code that behaves predictably. If a function is named calculateTotal(), it shouldn’t also send an email.

❌ Bad (Surprising Behavior)

def save_user_data(user):
    user.save()
    send_welcome_email(user)  # Why is this here?! 😱

✅ Good (Expected Behavior)

def save_user_data(user):
    user.save()  # Does one thing, does it well. 🎯

def onboard_user(user):
    save_user_data(user)
    send_welcome_email(user)  # Clear separation. 🧘‍♂️

2. KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) 😌

“Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Old Monk Coders avoid over-engineering. The simplest solution is often the best.

❌ Over-Engineered

function isEven(num) {
    return num % 2 === 0 ? true : false;  # Redundant ternary. 🤦‍♂️
}

✅ Simple & Clear

function isEven(num) {
    return num % 2 === 0;  # Just return the boolean! 🎉
}

3. DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) 🚿

“Repetition is the enemy of maintainability.”

If you find yourself copying code, refactor it into a reusable function or module.

❌ WET (We Enjoy Typing) Code

def calculate_area_square(side):
    return side * side

def calculate_area_rectangle(length, width):
    return length * width

def calculate_area_circle(radius):
    return 3.14 * radius * radius

✅ DRY Code (Using Polymorphism)

class Shape:
    def area(self):
        pass

class Square(Shape):
    def __init__(self, side):
        self.side = side
    def area(self):
        return self.side * self.side

class Circle(Shape):
    def __init__(self, radius):
        self.radius = radius
    def area(self):
        return 3.14 * self.radius * self.radius

4. YAGNI (You Ain’t Gonna Need It) 🚫

“Do not add functionality until it is necessary.”

Old Monk Coders resist the urge to future-proof everything.

❌ Premature Optimization

public class User {
    private String name;
    private String email;
    private String socialSecurityNumber;  // "Might need this later..." 😬
}

✅ Just What’s Needed

public class User {
    private String name;
    private String email;  // Only what’s required. 🎯
}

5. The Rule of Three 🔢

“Write it once. Write it twice. Refactor on the third time.”

Copy-pasting once might be okay. Twice is a warning. Three times? Time to refactor.

❌ Copy-Pasta Hell

// Login validation (repeated in 3+ places)
if (!email || !password) {
    throw new Error("Missing fields!");
}

✅ Extracted into a Function

function validateInput(fields) {
    for (const field of fields) {
        if (!field.value) {
            throw new Error(`Missing ${field.name}!`);
        }
    }
}

validateInput([{ name: "email", value: email }, { name: "password", value: password }]);

6. The Boy Scout Rule 🏕️

“Leave the code cleaner than you found it.”

Every time you touch a file, improve it slightly. Fix a typo, rename a variable, or remove a comment.

❌ Messy Code (Before)

def get_user(id):  # gets user from db
    return db.query("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?", id)

✅ Cleaned Up (After)

def fetch_user_by_id(user_id: int) -> User:
    """Retrieves a user from the database by their ID."""
    return db.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?", user_id)

Final Wisdom from the Old Monk Coders 🧘‍♂️

1. Write code for humans, not just machines.
2. Debugging is twice as hard as writing code. Write accordingly.
3. The best code is no code at all. (But when you must write it, make it beautiful.)

Now go forth, young coder, and code with the wisdom of the ancients! 🏯✨

🔥 Liked this? Share it with fellow devs seeking enlightenment! 🚀

#OldMonkCoding #CleanCode #ZenProgramming #DeveloperWisdom