There is beauty, maybe even art, in code.
A well written piece of code flows smoothly. It is thoughtfully designed, observes proper encapsulation and variable scoping, and possesses a cohesive purpose. And it is well formatted. Lines are indented in the proper places so that the eye can easily follow the path down into nested constructs -- if statements, loops, anonymous inner classes, etc. -- emerging again into the main line of processing. Not only the structure, but the meaning and intent of the code are important in its visage. Variable names are concise without being cryptic, descriptive without being verbose. Capitalization and underscores are consistently applied where (and if) appropriate. Consistency in these elements makes code easier to read, just as proper spelling and grammar make the written word more comprehensible. Being able to tell what code means and what it's supposed to do at a glance is thrilling to a coder. If something thrills you when you look at it, isn't it beautiful? Good code looks good. Sometimes the beauty comes from the simplicity of the code and other times from taking a very complex algorithm and rendering it in a longer and more eloquent fashion which makes the complexity melt away as each line leads you by the hand through the intricate process.
The appearance of code is something that's been on my mind recently. In a discussion today on the GWT Contributor forum, I argued that certain proposed coding style guidelines disturbed the Feng Shui of code without adding value. It may not have been my most substantive argument of all time, but I think there's something of importance in that pithy reference to what many in the western world may think of as nothing more than an interior decorating fad. Each character in each line of code should blend harmoniously and purposefully with its surroundings. Even an extra space, or lack of one, could alter the careful balance of code without necessarily impacting its function. But that loss of balance harms the readability of code. Code that is less readable is less beautiful.
I always try to write my code in a way that appears neat and tidy. I've looked back on code I wrote years ago and thought to myself "damn, that's sexy." Sometimes (maybe more often, depending on how far back I wrote the code in question) instead I wonder what the Hell I was thinking when I wrote it. But most of those head-scratchers can be polished into more appealing code. It could simply be that my personal preference in matters of style and convention have changed, and applying those new preferences is all it takes.
Like fine art, music, and other things in which beauty can be found, beautiful code is often a matter of taste. But whether you prefer C++, Java, Lisp, .NET, Ruby, PHP, ColdFusion, Lua, or any of the myriad other varieties, take a moment sometime to appreciate the code. And please, for the sake of the code-lover who comes after you, strive to make beauty in your work -- appearances count.
