Rant: Planning code felt dumb until now

I always coded on the fly. After a project failed, I wrote down the steps first. Now I get why everyone says to plan ahead.

3 comments

3 Comments

robin_henderson812mo ago

Actually read a thing once comparing it to building a shed. You wouldn't just grab wood and start nailing, right? You'd sketch a little plan, even just on a napkin, so you know the size and where the door goes. Coding without a plan feels like that, just hammering pieces together and hoping it stands up. That moment it finally clicks why planning matters is a huge relief, like finding the right tool for a job.

reed.vera2mo ago

But for small stuff, isn't planning sometimes overkill? I've definitely just started hammering code together for a quick script and been fine. That shed analogy makes sense for a big project, but what about just fixing a tiny thing or trying a new idea out? When do you draw the line?

skyler6312mo ago

Ever done that and then had to fix it three times? Tbh I used to just dive in for small scripts too, but it bit me last week. I needed a quick thing to rename a bunch of files, didn't plan, and my code messed up the extensions on some photos. Honestly, even five minutes scribbling the steps on paper would have saved me an hour of fixing my mess. Now my line is if I might use it more than once, I do a tiny plan.