I am disappointed when I use a new program and find that I cannot tweak anything. For me, that is the point: my entire design revolves around the idea of modularity. I believe that every component that could ever need to be changed should be easy to tweak. It helps individual users and encourages further development. I approach this task in a variety of ways:
– Hard-code nothing. It is amazing what can be fit in a resource file. Components that need to be changed can easily be moved to a markup or script file.
– Keep it outside your code. Avoid embedding resources such as images and sound files, and place them somewhere easy to access.
– Why go overboard? Script and markup files should use a simple syntax and be easy to change. Also use a language that fits your specific needs.
– Documentation is modularity’s best friend. If a user cannot figure something out, they should be able to read the documentation.
– Open source is good. If a user is inclined to solve their own problem, let them. Include an area for easy feedback and let them run with it.
Tags: hard-code, modularity, open source, soft-code