Showerthought: I used to name my variables stuff like 'x2', now I name them like I'm texting my future self

Angela Hart · 2026-09-23T07:20:03.019869+00:00

When I started learning Python 8 months ago, my code was full of single letters and random numbers, like a1, b2, and temp3. I spent 3 hours one night hunting a bug and it turned out I had reused 'x' in two loops, which made me want to throw my laptop. Now I write names like 'user_score' and 'total_price' even if it takes longer to type. Last Tuesday I opened some old code from my first month and it took me 20 minutes just to figure out what 'y' was doing. My friend who codes for a living said short names are fine once you're good, but I'm not there yet. Does anyone else rename old code just to understand it, or do you leave the mess alone?

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Showerthought: I used to name my variables stuff like 'x2', now I name them like I'm texting my future self | Coding For Beginners - Vivisector