website/content/blog/boolean_names.md

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2020-07-15 04:46:03 +00:00
---
img: /img/settings.png
title: "Boolean Variable Names"
author: Jeff Russo
pdate: FILL_IN_DATE
desc: Choosing a good boolean variable name
---
Choosing good names for variable is important. They are a form of documentation and can remove [complexity](http://localhost:1313/blog/complexity/) from code. Using a bad name for a variable leads to confusion, bugs, and wasted engineer time. In this blog post I will discuss what makes a variable name good or bad, for [booleans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolean_data_type) in particular.
## Purpose
A boolean's purpose is to toggle between true and false. Therefore, the name should represent something that is true or false.
## Good Boolean Names
## Bad Boolean Names
Variable names for booleans: avoid names that are already a negation (notReady, headless).
find examples in OSS (Gitea notify)
Read PoP and PoSD for bool blog post
Use an unambiguously negatable name. No context should be needed for understanding. Ex: “FlexibleName”
Going between configs is problematic. Ex: confA.UseProd = !confB.NoProd
Should be in the affirmative (useProd, not noProd)
answerable with yes or no (true or false)