As a web developer with over a decade of experience building premium WordPress themes and plugins, I have seen all kinds of code. Some developers wrote excellent and organized code, and some were not so great and up to the mark.

🤔 What is the issue?

Let me share a real story of my own. A few years ago, I was asked to update a feature on a website that was developed almost eight years ago by another team member. Multiple developers were involved in that project. Now, working on an older project is not an issue in itself. But what made this task particularly complicated was the lack of readable and well-documented code.

In the fast-moving world of web development, it's natural to focus on making things work and pushing features live as quickly as possible. While that's understandable—especially when you are trying to meet the deadlines or fix bugs. In that scenario, code readability often gets overlooked.

Here is the main issue! Unreadable code doesn’t just make life harder for others. It makes it harder for your future self too. There will be a greater possibility that you may need to work on that same project or to mentor someone to add new features.

🎯 Why Does Readable Code Matter?

Here are three key reasons why writing readable code is so important:

✅ Makes Future Maintenance Easier

Readable code saves you time when you (or someone else) return to update or debug a project after months or even years. Clear variable names, proper indentation, and helpful comments can make a big difference.

✅ Improves Collaboration

Whether you're working with a team or handing off the project to another developer, readable code ensures everyone can understand what's going on. It avoids confusion and prevents bugs caused by misinterpretation.

Code Collaboration — Photo Credit: Pixabay

✅ Reduces Technical Debt

Sloppy code may work today but can cause bigger issues tomorrow. Clean, structured code reduces the chance of introducing bugs and makes refactoring easier.

Reduce technical debt — Photo Credit: Pixabay

🎯 Simple Example: Readable vs. Unreadable Code

Let’s look at a real-world example using a common HTML input field in PHP.

❌ Less Readable Code:

return "<input type='text' name='{$name}' id='{$id}'  class='{$class_name}' value='{$value}' placeholder='{$placeholder}' />";

✅ More Readable Code:

return sprintf(
			"<input type='text' name='%s' id='%s' class='%s' value='%s' placeholder='%s' />",
			esc_attr( $name ),
			esc_attr( $id ),
			esc_attr( $class_name ),
			esc_attr( $value ),
			esc_attr( $placeholder )
		);

The second example not only uses sprintf() for better formatting but also sanitizes the variables using esc_attr()—a simple yet powerful habit that improves both readability and security.

🏆 Learnings

Deadlines, last-minute changes, and production pushes are part of a developer’s life. But amidst the chaos, let’s not forget to write code that’s clean, understandable, and maintainable.

Your teammates (and your future self) will thank you.

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🤔 What is the issue?