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Variable Best Practices: Write Good Code

Good variable practices make scripts better. Safer. More maintainable.

Here's the thing: Follow best practices. Your scripts will be better. Trust me.

Naming Conventions​

Use Descriptive Names​

# Good
user_name="John"
file_count=10

# Bad
u="John"
fc=10

My take: Descriptive names are better. Readable. Understandable.

Use UPPERCASE for Constants​

MAX_RETRIES=3
API_URL="https://api.example.com"

My take: UPPERCASE for constants. Convention. Follow it.

Quoting​

Always Quote Variables​

name="John Doe"
echo "$name"                      # Good
echo $name                        # Bad - breaks with spaces

My take: Always quote variables. Prevents problems.

Quote in Conditionals​

if [ "$name" = "John" ]; then
    echo "Found"
fi

My take: Quote in conditionals. Always.

Safety​

Check Before Use​

if [ -z "$name" ]; then
    echo "Name is required"
    exit 1
fi

My take: Check variables before use. Prevent errors.

Use Defaults​

name="${USER_NAME:-default}"

My take: Use defaults. Safer.

Common Patterns​

Safe Variable Use​

name="${1:-default}"
if [ -z "$name" ]; then
    echo "Error: name required"
    exit 1
fi

Common Mistakes (I've Made These)​

  1. Not quoting: Always quote. Prevents problems.

  2. Bad names: Use descriptive names. Not x, y, z.

  3. Not checking: Check variables before use. Prevent errors.

  4. Changing globals: Use local in functions. Don't change globals.

What's Next?​

Now that you understand best practices, you write better scripts. Or review Variables to reinforce.

Personal note: I used to write messy scripts. Then I learned best practices. Now my scripts are better. Cleaner. Safer. Follow practices.