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  An introduction to popular code structure strategies.
Terms:
- Narrative flow involves writing your code as if someone were reading a story of how the program will work.
- Iterative coding is a process where you code a small piece of your project and then test it, then code the next piece and test it, so on and so forth.
- KISS, or keep it simple silly, is a popular acronym to remember that simple is usually better.
- DRY, or don’t repeat yourself, is another popular acronym reminding you to keep your code free of repeats whenever possible.
- Refactoring is the process by which you improve existing code.
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                      [MUSIC]
                      0:00
                    
                    
                      Hi, my name is Megan, and
I'm a teacher at Treehouse.
                      0:09
                    
                    
                      When it comes to laying out your code,
there are a lot of pitfalls
                      0:14
                    
                    
                      a developer can fall into,
especially when new to programming.
                      0:18
                    
                    
                      Repeating code,
code that is disorganized or
                      0:22
                    
                    
                      hard to follow, and
over complicating are a few examples.
                      0:25
                    
                    
                      It's important to keep in mind
how your code is structured.
                      0:30
                    
                    
                      Both the overall file
structure of your project, and
                      0:33
                    
                    
                      the code inside of each file too.
                      0:37
                    
                    
                      Keeping this in mind will make your code
easier to read and easier to maintain.
                      0:39
                    
                    
                      To help you avoid these pitfalls and
improve your coding skills,
                      0:45
                    
                    
                      I'm gonna walk you through a few
of my favorite strategies.
                      0:49
                    
                    
                      They are narrative flow,
iterative coding, KISS, and DRY.
                      0:53
                    
                    
                      Narrative flow involves writing your
code as if someone were reading
                      1:00
                    
                    
                      a story of how the program will work.
                      1:05
                    
                    
                      Iterative coding is a process where you
code a small piece of your project,
                      1:07
                    
                    
                      then test it, then code the next piece and
test it, and so on, and so forth.
                      1:12
                    
                    
                      KISS or keep it simple silly,
                      1:17
                    
                    
                      is a popular acronym to remember
that simple is usually better.
                      1:20
                    
                    
                      And lastly, DRY, or don't repeat
yourself is another popular acronym,
                      1:25
                    
                    
                      reminding you to keep your code
free of repeats whenever possible.
                      1:31
                    
                    
                      We're going to dive into each
of these strategies in more
                      1:35
                    
                    
                      detail throughout this workshop.
                      1:39
                    
                    
                      All of these methods can be
implemented while you're coding.
                      1:41
                    
                    
                      Doing the hard work up front will save
you a bunch of time in the long run.
                      1:45
                    
                    
                      You can also implement these
strategies on a completed project.
                      1:50
                    
                    
                      This is called refactoring.
                      1:54
                    
                    
                      [SOUND] Refactoring is the process
by which you improve existing code.
                      1:56
                    
                    
                      This is a great way to
review your past work,
                      2:03
                    
                    
                      make sure it's updated to any new
standards or language updates,
                      2:06
                    
                    
                      add any new features, or
practice new skills you've learned.
                      2:10
                    
                    
                      Let's get into it.
                      2:14
                    
              
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