textBoxEmployeeName vs employeeNameTextBox

Question

Which naming convention do you use and why?

I like to use employeeNameTextBox, because:

• It seems more natural from an English language perspective.

Answer 1

I would go with [controlType][DomainTerm] which in this case is textBoxEmployeeName. The reason is that while coding for the C# code behind you are more care about the UI controls than the domain specific terms.UI(View) side coding we need to identify/recognize the control type faster, which is little more important than the domain specific name in the View side , and since we read from 'Left to right' this naming convention is relevant. I generally use txtEmployeeName or cmpEmployeeType , but textBox instead of txt is preferred as per MS guidelines

Answer 2

I don't recommend hungarian notation in any form. textBoxEmployeeName is a form of hungarian notation. So I support the use of employeeNameTextBox.

Personally I don't even bother using the word TextBox, because it is not what is important about the variable. What is important is "Employee" and "Name". Not only does adding the word TextBox lock you in to a certain type, it also make it much harder to change that type, because you need to change the name to normalize your code and make it correct. Say for some reason you started this as a TextBox, but you later received a requirement to change this to a DropDownList or some other type, now you have to update all of your code and JavaScript to make it say DropDownList instead of TextBox.

It is much easier to forget about trying to type your variable names, and just simply name them. You have intellisense and compile time error checking for a reason, why not use it.

Answer 3

A MUST READ is the XAML Guidelines released by Jaime:

Also read more here

Answer 4

I generally try to keep the element type short, followed by a distinguishing label. I find that it quickly communicates the type and purpose of the element:

txtEmployeeName;
lblEmployeeName;

Answer 5

Why not EmployeeName? Seriously how does the control type as part of the name when it is already provided by your IDE assist in delivering easy to maintain code? Consider Ottenger's Rules for Variable and class Naming

K

Answer 6

The only reason to use the control type in the name first (textBoxEmployeeName) is for easier grouping with Intellisense (All textbox controls would then show up together). Beyond that, there really is no benefit to using that way. I find the second way (employeeNameTextBox) more readable and prefer that way personally, but a lot of people will still go with the control type first, since that is the way it was done for a long time.