ObjectScript might look like just another programming language, but here’s the twist

Your code here can live forever (yep, even after you’ve moved on to another project). That’s why it’s important to keep it tidy, easy to read, and safe from mysterious bugs.

(A beginner’s guide to keeping your code neat, friendly, and future-proof)

Welcome to the ObjectScript jungle where your code can be global in scope and persistent in nature.
Let’s keep things clean, readable, and bug-resistant.

 1️⃣ Name Like You Mean It

Variables and globals should be named like they have a LinkedIn profile.
Skip the x, y, z  go for patientID, invoiceTotal, ^MyApp("Users",...).

Set patientID = 1023
Set ^Hospital("Patients",patientID,"Name") = "Marshmallow"

💡 Why: When you revisit this in 6 months, “Marshmallow” will still make sense, ^H(1,"N") won’t.

 2️⃣ Global Warming Awareness 🌍

Globals are powerful, but don’t just toss data in there like it’s a laundry basket.

 Prefix with your app name to avoid collisions.
 Keep your key order logical: biggest category first, details last.

Set ^PetStore("Cats","Persian",1,"Name") = "Luna"

💡 Tip: If you wouldn’t label a box “Stuff,” don’t name a global ^DATA.

 3️⃣ Method-Size Matters 🐹

If your method is longer than a hamster’s patience, break it up.
Small, focused methods are easier to test, reuse, and maintain.

ClassMethod GetPatientName(patientID As %Integer) As %String
{
    Quit ^Hospital("Patients",patientID,"Name")
}

 4️⃣ Catch Those Sneaky Errors 🎣

Don’t let your code throw a tantrum in production. Wrap dangerous operations in Try/Catch.

Try {
    Write ^Hospital("Patients",9999,"Name")
}
Catch ex {
    Write "Error: ", ex.DisplayString(), !
}

💡 Why: Because silent crashes are like cats they hide the mess until it’s too late.

 5️⃣ Comment Like You Care 💌

Comments are love letters to your future self. Keep them short, relevant, and updated.

// Assign the patients therapy cat
Set ^Hospital("Patients",patientID,"Pet") = "Mittens"

Great coding habits go beyond any one programming language they’re universal. Maybe you’re a champion of clear variable names, a master of rock-solid error handling, a believer in test-driven development, or you’ve got a quirky little trick that makes your code sparkle. Whatever it is, share it! Post your best practices, lessons learned, or bite-sized wisdom in the comments, and let’s create a treasure trove of tips to help both beginners and seasoned developers write cleaner, smarter, and more efficient code. 🚀