What are the best practices for sharing your algorithms with others?

1 Choose the right format

One of the first decisions you need to make when sharing your algorithms is what format to use. Depending on your goals, audience, and preferences, you may choose to share your code as a standalone file, a notebook, a package, a repository, or a web app. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you should consider factors such as ease of access, interactivity, portability, modularity, and scalability. For example, if you want to share a simple algorithm that can be run in any environment, you may opt for a standalone file. If you want to share a complex algorithm that involves multiple steps, data sources, and visualizations, you may prefer a notebook. If you want to share a reusable algorithm that can be integrated into other projects, you may create a package. If you want to share a collection of related algorithms that can be versioned and updated, you may use a repository. If you want to share a user-friendly algorithm that can be accessed online, you may develop a web app.

2 Document your code

Documenting your code is essential to sharing your algorithms. This means adding comments, annotations, and descriptions that explain what your code does, why it does it, and how it does it. Documenting your code can help you and others understand, debug, and modify it. Additionally, it can aid others in learning from your code and appreciating your logic and creativity. Good documentation should include a header comment with general information about the algorithm, a function comment for each function defined, an inline comment to clarify any confusing or complex blocks of code, and a docstring summarizing the inputs, outputs, and examples of the code.

3 Use standard conventions

When sharing your algorithms, it is important to use standard conventions. Standard conventions are a set of rules and guidelines that help make your code more consistent, readable, and compatible with other code. Depending on the programming language and the community you are working with, standard conventions may vary. However, some common aspects include naming conventions for variables, functions, classes, and files; formatting conventions for indentation, spacing, and alignment; coding conventions for writing and organizing code; and commenting conventions for writing and formatting comments. By following these standard conventions, you can ensure that your code is understandable and usable by others.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?