Code Smell 87 — Inconsistent Parameters Sorting

Be consistent with the parameters you use. Code is prose.

Photo by Lance Grandahl on Unsplash

TL;DR: Don’t confuse you readers. Keep the order.

Problems

• Readability
• Consistency

Solutions

1. Refactor and change parameters order.
2. Use named parameters

Sample Code

Wrong

Right

Detection

• Some very smart linters may be able to compare arguments and hint for possible mistakes.

Tags

• Readability

Conclusion

This is a very simple smell.

Readability is very important to avoid mistakes.

Relations

Code Smell 10 — Too Many Arguments

Credits

Computers are good at following instructions, but not at reading your mind.

Donald Knuth

Software Engineering Great Quotes

This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.

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