---
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)