The Absurdity of Self-Documenting Code Taken to Extremes

Description

A screenshot of a C# script within the Unity game engine editor. The code defines a 'GameManager' class that contains variables and methods with extraordinarily long and descriptive names. For example, a boolean variable is named 'ThisBoolMakesItSoThatTheGameHasHigherContrastForAccessibilityPurposes', and a method is named 'CallThisWhenThePlayerLosesHealthAndIfHealthGoesBelowZeroThePlayerWillDie'. This meme is a satirical take on the software development principle of 'self-documenting code,' where code is written so clearly that it doesn't need comments. The image pushes this idea to a comical and impractical extreme, highlighting the trade-off between descriptive naming and code readability/usability. It resonates with developers who have debated naming conventions and the appropriate level of verbosity in code

Common Tags

VariableNaming CodeMaintainability NamingConventions CodeSmells CleanCodePrinciples DeveloperHumor Unity GameDevelopment

Comments

Anonymous ★ Top Pick This isn't just self-documenting code, it's a full-stack story. The compiler doesn't build it, it publishes it as a novella. Good luck hitting the 80-character line limit during a code review

Anonymous ★ Top Pick

This isn't just self-documenting code, it's a full-stack story. The compiler doesn't build it, it publishes it as a novella. Good luck hitting the 80-character line limit during a code review
Anonymous

I love how we micro-batched draw calls to hit 60 FPS, then stuffed every field with a 120-char “self-documenting” name - because why store the requirements doc in Confluence when you can cache-miss it in every dereference?
Anonymous

This is what happens when the PM says 'make the code self-documenting' and the junior takes it literally - now the variable names are longer than the actual implementation, and the code review tool crashes trying to display the diff
Anonymous

When your tech lead says 'make the code self-documenting' but you take it as a personal challenge to eliminate all need for comments, documentation, and human comprehension. This is what happens when you implement 'clean code' principles with the subtlety of a sledgehammer - variable names so descriptive they could double as user stories. At this rate, the next sprint will just be renaming 'i' to 'ThisIntegerRepresentsTheCurrentIndexInTheLoopThatIteratesThroughTheCollectionOfGameObjectsInTheScene'. The real kicker? This probably still compiles faster than a Gradle build, and the method names are *still* more concise than most enterprise Java interfaces
Anonymous

When your MonoBehaviour has CallThisWhenThePlayerLosesHealthAndIfHealthGoesBelowZeroThePlayerWillDie(), you’re not doing self‑documenting code - you’ve implemented Documentation‑Driven Development; the call stack is a user story and grep is a literary exercise
Anonymous

Immortality via MonoBehaviour: death state? Nah, just `currentHealth = maxHealth` - state machines are for mortals
Anonymous

Self-documenting code meets Unity serialization: the GameManager doubles as the PRD - rename one field and half your prefabs quietly reset
@Sp1cyP3pp3r 2y

i_hate_camel_case
1. @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Isnt camelCase lower case at first char?
  
  @Sp1cyP3pp3r 2y
  
  mayBe
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Don’t worry I have a more cursed casing system
  
  @TERASKULL 2y
  
  yea, otherwise it's PascalCase
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Thats what I thought remembers me of VisualBasicTimes
  
  @trainzman 2y
  
  camelCase is, PascalCase is not
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  I use a combination of both💀
  
  @Sp1cyP3pp3r 2y
  
  terminate yourSelf 👍
  
  @trainzman 2y
  
  Why, it's a common C# practice
  
  @TERASKULL 2y
  
  add some snake case To_spice_Things_up
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Parameters and local/private variables are camelCase, Class/Interface/Function/Property names are PascalCase
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Private variables inside a class are camelCase with a _ prefix
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Now you can cancel me
  
  @azizhakberdiev 2y
  
  in assembly we use lowercase in any case
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  Noice
  
  @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  To be fair we just pretend to care about casing yet we never use the same names with different casing. /s
@Sp1cyP3pp3r 2y

apart from math functions, they constantly need to reference Engine's library
@TERASKULL 2y

the gameplay logic is written like that, everything else is handled by the game engine. Unless you're fucked in the head and create a new engine in C++
@posttrau 2y

I hope this is not a real code but made just for a meme because it smells like a lot
@trainzman 2y

While Java uses camelCase for everything, it's common for C# code to use PascalCase for method names and camelCase for variables
1. @Sava_SKk 2y
  
  classes in java are in PascalCase
  
  @trainzman 2y
  
  True yet not really relevant 3 days later
@purplesyringa 2y

nit pick: it's per se, not per say
@qwnick 2y

yes, just you :)
@Supuhstar 2y

[C.objective mostReasonableTokenLengths];
@sin_fox 2y

Tarkov sources leacked?
@Dark_Embrace 2y

if (health < 0) kill_player(); So 0 hp is not a death
1. @sylfn 2y
  
  please use english in this chat
2. @ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y
  
  uint health = 100;
@ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y

Pls yes also limit data size to 7 bits
@ZgGPuo8dZef58K6hxxGVj3Z2 2y

Make one for no rust
@hannybu 2y

https://ideogram.ai/g/Jo7C5SzaSeWlpA-6ZwnOWg/1 here's the stuff - https://ideogram.ai/ prompt: protester holding a sign reading "Neural Invalidi!" there 25x4 per day for each gmail very good in fonts protesters can be replaced on anything i started to use it for communication :(
@Sava_SKk 2y

like Main
@Sava_SKk 2y

but methods and variables are in camelCase
@Sava_SKk 2y

void main, int playerScore etc
@zherud 2y

Why is health a float? Wtf
@ageek 2y

😂😂

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The Absurdity of Self-Documenting Code Taken to Extremes

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