Coding Standards - ESLint and the Scary Red Lines
13 Feb 2025
VSCode and I
After my first week of using ESLint with VSCode, I learned more about coding standards and how to code correctly. Before this class, I had some experience with VSCode for HTML and CSS, so I already somewhat understood how to use VSCode. However, I did not have much experience using extensions, so learning to use VSCode with ESLint taught me more about how to modify VSCode. I enjoyed using VSCode in high school, and learning to use extensions like GitHub CoPilot made my experience with VSCode much easier.
The Cursed Red Lines
Since I mostly used VSCode in the past for coding without any real “standards,” using ESLint was something that I was not used to at all. Before using ESLint, I often switched between using and not using spaces for arithmetic symbols for loops and if statements. I was also not used to the indentation rules on ESLint. As someone who only used tabs to space out their code, using my spacebar to space out code felt strange at first. ESLint is something that I was not used to, which led to me completing the coding part of my WODs this week, only to find out that ninety percent of my code was covered in red lines. While it was annoying, I understood why coding standards were essential, and it was ultimately worth fixing all my lines, despite being a long and grueling process.
My Take on ESLint
While most of my week was spent getting frustrated with ESLint and its strict coding standards, I understood why having coding standards was essential. Before using ESLint, I switched between using and not using spaces for arithmetic symbols, sometimes making my code hard to read. ESLint forced me to put spaces when using these symbols, making it easier to reread my code and make minor fixes. ESLint, while sometimes painful, is necessary for preventing bad habits when coding, and it is something that I have to get used to. Overall, coding standards, while sometimes irritating, are there to help us, and it is something that we need to get used to to become better programmers.