How to document a system thread before encoding it?

Question

Can anyone help me with this?

Here's the problem ...

When I need to enter a code, say, a registration form, I add a new form and start encoding it. But sometimes the form is a little complicated, and I find myself duplicating the code and repeating the same checks again, making the code messy.

I was wondering if there is any tool that allows me to create a stream of this form before encoding it, for example, a block diagram ... where I can find places where I duplicate the code and then avoid it.

thanks!

Answer 1

Well, the real tool / language designed for this is UML . You can read about it.

But its very strict. Although you do not have to follow all specifications and conventions. There are several types of charts that cover almost everything. But AFAIK only 4 are practically used.

Most of the people I know usually draw flowcharts.

The Google Docs drawing is great for this.

But it depends on the type of application. I ponyonally think more in data and as data flow diagrams .

I also like the top-down design. Other people do it differently. I basically start with a sheet of paper and a pen and draw some things that I could not say what it means in half an hour. But I start very simply with an application / database / user or something else, and when a picture arises, I go into details using modeling tools.

I can’t construct anything without knowing the bigger picture, although I know that this is the quality of software developers.

ps: designing a form sounds very trivial at first, although it may not be so. but a lot of help

I think a lot of help is associated with some programming patterns and paradigms that you like. A good base is the concept of MVC . I like to expand it with a “resource model” that runs the entire database.

Answer 2

1) The best place to start is a white board. If your company does not have whiteboards, tell them to order some. Jokes aside. You will wonder how you lived without it.

2) Create a prototype paper with stakeholders or create them. They take maybe 30 minutes to make and solve a ton of user interface arguments that would otherwise be “defects”

3) Code. This is the easy part.

4) Refactoring when fixing defects. You will notice the best things you could do, shortcuts, duplicate code. Take time to fix the defect correctly and the quality of the code will improve. This is an iterative process.

5) Visio, if you postpone the process (to support or something else). This may be step 4 as a kind of state machine, but prototypes of paper should be sufficient for you to start with turning on, turning off, etc.

If you are developing and writing computer code before you have a prototype, and you have a white version, you will need to invest a lot more time in the Refactor step. Visio and other state design applications will show you what is happening, but the whiteboard marker is the excalibur of the development world.

I know that this does not answer the question that you asked, literally; however, solid processes are infinitely more valuable than tools.