Blog #3 - The Art and Importance of Code Review: A Developer's Guide

[Priyanka Sharm1]

In the fast-paced world of development, code reviews are the unsung heroes that elevate our work from good to great. They foster collaboration, enhance code quality, and create a learning environment that benefits everyone involved. 

As a developer, the significance of code reviews didn’t hit me immediately. Through projects, some wins, and a fair share of oops moments, I’ve come to realize how essential this process is for creating quality, maintainable code.

Why Code Review?

Code review is more than just bug-hunting. Here’s why I believe code reviews are essential:

1. Improved Code Quality: Having a peer review your code means a fresh set of eyes that can spot potential issues or improvements.
2. Knowledge Sharing: Code reviews encourage a learning culture. Junior developers can learn from seniors, and even seniors can pick up new tricks.
3. Better Collaboration: Code reviews align the team on coding standards, architectural decisions, and best practices.
4. Preventing Future Issues: Catching small problems now prevents technical debt from piling up, saving you from future headaches.

Who should do Code Reviews?

Different team members contribute to code reviews at various stages:

• Developers: Review your own code before submitting it, ideally with a checklist in hand.
• Peers: A peer review ensures that the code adheres to the team’s standards before merging.
• Architects or Senior Developers: Senior members focus on the architectural aspects to ensure the code fits the overall project goals and is scalable.

A good code review is a team effort, with everyone following a consistent set of guidelines.

What Resources/Methods to use for Code Review Practices?

1. Version Control System: ServiceNow's built-in version control system enhances code reviews.

• Allows developers to easily compare different versions of code.
• Facilitates the identification of changes and potential issues.
• Enables to roll back to previous versions to reduce the risk of introducing bugs during the review process.

2. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs): Using the built-in ServiceNow Studio, developers can review code changes directly within the environment.

• It provides a clear view of code and the ability to track revisions
• It provides a bird’s eye view of all the configuration present in an application, allowing to check for consistency through naming conventions.
• It provides easier navigation to switch through various configurations.

3. ServiceNow Script Debugger: This can be incredibly useful for reviewing and testing code in a live environment. For debugging specific scripts, the ServiceNow Script Debugger allows developers to

• Step through their code.
• Set breakpoints.
• Inspect variable values.

4. Peer review: Peer review involves developers evaluating each other's code to ensure quality and adherence to standards, enhancing code quality through diverse perspectives. This collaborative process fosters knowledge sharing and accountability, ultimately leading to more robust and maintainable code.

5. Code Review Checklists: Create and utilize checklists during the review process to ensure all key points are covered. This can include naming conventions, coding standards, and performance considerations specific to your project.

How do you do your code reviews? let me know in the comments 🙂

I will be writing another blog on exactly how to conduct effective code reviews, so stay tuned. 🙂