Question

I have a list, and I’m trying to decide whether to call it item or items. If I call it items, it’s clear that foo(items) is being passed a list of items and not a single item. On the other hand, I would prefer to write item[i] to refer to a particular element instead of items[i] (because I would say “bring me item 7”, not “bring me items 7”).

I also have a function, and I’m trying to decide whether to call it value or get_value. If I call it value, I can write nice statements like value_squared = value() ^ 2 (which I think is nicer than value_squared = get_value() ^ 2), but I might run into problems writing stuff like value = value(), whereas value = get_value() would not be problematic.

(I know that this question does not have a right answer, and that it is two questions. I am open to suggestions that I edit/remove/move/split it, etc., as I’m not quite sure what the right thing to do is. I would, however, like to see some responses, since I’d like to write code in a way that is easy for others to understand.)

Answer 1

I like plural names for lists and ‘get’ prefix for functions. I think immediately knowing that they are lists and functions outweighs the negatives.