A stickler for perfect coding grammar
02 Feb 2023
First impressions
This past week has given me my very first experiences with ESLint and IntelliJ. Typically, I use VS Code as my IDE of choice, and I have never played around with any code inspectors before, so working with these two new tools has been quite interesting. My initial thoughts about IntelliJ are that the UI is very straightforward, and it is simple to navigate. I also really enjoyed the accessibility and integration with GitHub Desktop while pushing and pulling my repositories. ESLint on the other hand took some getting used to. Originally, I was intrigued by the idea of a code inspector that could readily identify my syntax mistakes, but as I began to use ESLint I encountered an unexpected learning curve. Figuring out what the errors and warnings were asking me to do was difficult at times and it often slowed down the process of completing my program. As I get more familiar with ESLint, I do think I will appreciate it in the long run.
The dreaded green checkmark
Being someone who is a creature of habit, it is very difficult for me to change the way I write code. As a result, using ESLint has been somewhat challenging. I do appreciate the error notifications that tell me exactly why my code is not executing properly, but the errors concerning spacing are what frustrate me the most. When I am writing a program, I always use the same spacing conventions that I learned when I was first starting to code. Out of habit I will add spaces and newlines in certain places, but since they don’t precisely follow the coding standards, ESLint raises its warning flags. I could always ignore the warnings if my code runs, but the perfectionist in me strives to get that green checkmark of approval.
Getting comfortable
Overall, I think that IntelliJ and ESLint will grow on me. I recognize the utility and power of both tools, so once I can get comfortable, I will be a lot more appreciative of them. Concerning ESLint, I wish I had been informed about it way earlier in my college career. Incorporating a tool like ESLint while teaching students how to code would be extremely beneficial. Instead of introducing coding standards later in a programmer’s career when it is inevitably harder to alter their programming style, starting them off with specific syntax rules would ingrain it into their minds from the get-go. Since I’m unable to go back in time to give myself the gift of ESLint, I will continue to practice using it so that the quality of my programming can be improved through coding standards.