Developing Effective Coding Standards

Embedded software expert Michael Barr presents new techniques for keeping bugs out with coding standards.

There are many sources of bugs in software programs. Some bugs are created by the original programmer. Other bugs results from misunderstandings of the original code by those who maintain, extend, and/or reuse (or port) that code at a later time. The number of bugs introduced by the original programmer can be reduced through the disciplined application of certain coding practices. In addition, some types of bugs caused by maintenance programmers can be prevented by the original programmer through commenting and careful and consistent naming of variables and functions.

Coding standards, which consider these issues from the start, are valuable tools to keep bugs out of medical devices and other safety-critical embedded systems. This course demonstrates how coding standards can be used to effectively keep software bugs out of C and C++ programs. Students are prepared to develop a variant of Netrino's Embedded C Coding Standard tailored to the needs of their organization.

Length/Options

• 1 day (lecture)

Audience

• Programmers, project managers, and technical managers

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with C programming language

Related Courses

• Embedded Software Boot Camp
• Implementing Effective Code Reviews
• Team-Based Firmware Development
• Test Driven Development for Embedded C
• Hardware Interfacing with C
• Embedded Programming with C++

Outline