Why is documentation so important to computer programming?

computer programming

Why is documentation so important to computer programming?
Programs have be maintained. If you've ever written a program, then come back a month later to add a feature or fix a bug or make some changes, you find it's very difficult to 'read' the program, to see what you were thinking, how it works. This is especially true with C programming since you are writing the code in a way that it will run the fastest and use the least memory. Some languages, like Pascal, were designed to be more 'self-documenting'.





Also documentation helps the user or customer understand how the program works, what the features are and how to use them.
Reply:Because it helps to read to read a blueprint of something at times. Or a map. Imagine the world without maps. You could get places but you personally would have to memorize what you were doing to write it down. Documentation explains where you are going and where you started and how you're getting there... just in case you want to make a detour!
Reply:Because if you make a program any programmer can know what exactly the program do and understand all the Variables that the program uses (Public, Private, etc.) as well as Routines and the flow of the program.
Reply:It's handy to keep a book around with whatever programming language you're using. It helps when you forget a specific command that can make life easy. Or you you can just have a mini reference book if you're not THAT familiar with a programming language but know many others.





Regards,





Brandon
Reply:Because if you do not document well your procedures, function calls, etc. then the next person to take over the program will not really know what your functions are doing and what they were intended to do. Think about it this way if you took over a program from another person and there was no documentation on it then you would not know what functions did and how they were suppose to complete certain tasks. It would take you much longer to figure out what a potential issue is within the program without re-tracing the steps of the program and line by line figuring out what the previous programmer did.





So as my professors and even mentors at work have said about programs. Comment, Comment, Comment and if you think you haven't commented enough then do some more. Keep very detailed explanations as to what functions, sub-routines, and variables do and are for. The more documentation in a program the easier it is to understand, interpret, and troubleshoot.
Reply:The wise programmer continues to document the program throughout its design, development, and testing. Documentation is needed to supplement human memory and to help organize program planning. Also, documentation is critical to communicate with others who have an interest in the program, especially other programmers who may be part of a programming team. And, since turnover is high in the computer industry, written documentation is needed so that those who come after you can make any necessary modifications in the program or track down any errors that you missed.
Reply:stupid question without any essence. It is like asking why it is important to read a newspaper. Go %26amp; clean your backyard or ask intelligent questions plz.
Reply:So If you have lots of lines of code you ( and quite possibly other people) can tell what they all do and not mistankely edit or delete somthing because you didn't know what was supposed to do or why it was there. Always document your code. I learnd that the hard way.
Reply:Most code is "write once" and "read many times". Eventually, most software is maintained ... possibly by someone other than the original developer.

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