4 code review mistakes and how to avoid them

Code review is a systematic evaluation of the code followed by checking the changes made at the development stage. In software development, code reviews play a critical role in ensuring that code quality is high.

You will find different code review standards at various organizations, primarily driven by their philosophies, perspectives, and opinions. As it is not a stringent or fixed process, anyone can make their definition of what quality coding must be like. Most companies take a ‘trial and error’ approach to determine what kind of code review produces the best quality end product. You will have to review code frequently in your development career, so you must know what common mistakes one should avoid while checking codes.

Here we compiled a list of common code review mistakes that every developer must know.

1. Skipping tests 

Hopping off tests is one of the common mistakes most developers commit. We understand that reviewing your code through all the tests can get mundane, but skipping tests should not be the reason. Setting up the code review environment and tearing the code repeatedly can get boring. 

Often testers let their guard down, assuming that the code will pass through some tests without an issue. It is tempting to discount extra effort to ensure that the code review is completed without skipping any tests and directly goes into the implementation and conclusion phase. However, this practice puts the entire project at risk.

Code review tests are also pragmatic and functional codes designed to test the working of coding at a certain level. Unless you are confident that you truly understand the working and functioning of all test cases (hardly ever so!), you must not skip a test. It is essential to detect any bugs early in the process to eliminate the risk of errors at a later stage of development when it can be costly to rework the code.

2. Reviewing only changed or newly added code

Code review is a constantly evolving process. It goes through several development phases, but the common mistake QA testers commit is thinking that they only need to review the changed lines of code. A code cannot be read or acknowledged in parts. If you start reviewing code in chunks, you will miss specific details that can jeopardize the whole project.

It is essential to understand that code is produced much like a story. You won’t leave chapters or jump paragraphs to complete the story unless you want to lose the concept. Code review is the same; when changes are made to a code, you must review the overall code. Make it a habit to review a codebase as a whole, a single package, and review changes and existing lines of code. It is the only way to ensure its integrity.

3. Missing screenshots

Sometimes when you review the code, especially front-end code, you might comment on the bugs or errors without adding screenshots. You should avoid this mistake to help the developers understand where the error occurred and how it looks at the front-end. While this recommendation is not directly linked to your code, it is a great help if you include some screenshots to point out how the UI looked before and after the changes made to the code.

When you include the screenshots with the code review feedback, front-end developers can better understand how the code changes affected the UI and how you expect it to be.

4. Unclear or ambiguous comments

Code review is to help correct the errors and let developers know what needs to be fixed. But if you drop in obscure or unclear comments, it won’t help the cause. For instance, if you leave a comment like “Please Fix,” how will the developer know what you mean by that? If you leave such comments in the review feedback, you are forcing developers to waste their time guessing what can be wrong with the code. It would help if you focused on explicitly articulating the issue about the errors or bugs such that developers can easily understand.

The whole point of a code review is to help developers get accurate and understandable feedback on the quality of the code. Be specific and clear about what can be wrong with the code. Put direct comments, identifying the concerns you have and suggesting the ideas you think will help improve the code quality.

Conclusion 

A code review is essential for producing a quality product. If you commit the common mistakes listed here, you will derail the code review, resulting in more work for everybody. It’s important to keep code review quality high, not for high coding standards but also to maintain harmonious relationships among team members.

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