Some elements of good program design:

• Well documented (use comments! // in javascript)
• Modular (design functions that do a specific job and can be reused)
• Lay out the logic of your program using a flowchart or pseudocode
• Use variable names that make sense and are descriptive
• Don't assume anything about what the user will "know to type"
• Remember that programming languages, especially scripts
  • Are sequential (they go down the line by default)
  • Have various control functions (decisions, such as if elseif else)
  • Should have one starting point and one stopping point (if possible)
  • Should use variables instead of actual numbers as often as possible (makes the program more adaptable and readable)
  • Should use functions to avoid repetition of code
  • Have many predefined functions and keywords that you should use. Why reinvent the wheel.
• A copy of the CodeLearn Program Design Course has been ported to felitaur.com with permission granted on the author's web page www.codelearn.com

Designing Programs:

1. Flow Charts
   These are a more complicated than psuedocode, but allow you to trace the flow of the program with much greater ease, and see mistakes that you have made in logic and flow control
   • Designing Programs with Flow charts
2. Pseudocode
   This is where you write out in "almost human english" what you want the program to do, step by step. As you use pseudocode more and more, you'll note that your pseudocode will start to look more like the actual programming syntax. :)
   • Pseudocode- 3GL Program Design