What I learned as a Software Developer while creating my product
- Tags
- Overview
- Code quality
- Code documentation
- Implementation
- History of internal metadata formats
- Definitions, Acronyms, Abbreviations
- References
Software development, code quality, code review, coding standards, documentation practices, C++, Python, implementation status, UI development, QT library, QWidgets, QML, UI languages, SQLite, CSV, C++ and Python integration, riff parser, metadata formats, maintainability
| # | Abbreviation or Acronym | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dictionary | A dictionary is a general-purpose data structure for storing a group of objects. A dictionary has a set of keys and each key has a single associated value. When presented with a key, the dictionary will return the associated value. |
| 2 | Doxygen | Doxygen is a documentation generator and static analysis tool for software source trees. When used as a documentation generator, Doxygen extracts information from specially-formatted comments within the code. |
| 3 | exiftool | ExifTool is a free and open-source software program for reading, writing, and manipulating image, audio, video, and PDF metadata |
| 4 | JSON | JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format. |
| 5 | IDE | An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. An IDE normally consists of at least a source code editor, build automation tools and a debugger. |
| 6 | Qt | is a widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces as well as cross-platform applications that run on various software and hardware platforms such as Linux, Windows, macOS, Android or embedded systems with little or no change in the underlying codebase while still being a native application with native capabilities and speed. |
| 7 | UI | is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine from the human end, whilst the machine simultaneously feeds back information that aids the operators' decision-making process |
This article delves into the importance of code quality, documentation, and UI development in the creation of the FVA Software. It explores the use of automated tools, manual code review, and Python checks to ensure code adherence. The significance of clear code documentation for both C++ and Python is emphasized. The transition from QWidgets to QML for UI implementation is discussed, along with the benefits of utilizing the QT library. The evolution of internal metadata formats in the software is explored, highlighting the challenges and decisions made along the way. Overall, the article provides insights into building a robust and maintainable software product.
Before creating the code, it is crucial to prioritize its quality. It should be the foremost consideration in the development process. To ensure code quality, we can utilize automated tools that help with code analysis. However, it's important to note that automated tools may not cover all the necessary rules. As a result, manual code review becomes essential to enforce coding standards. Personally, I have dedicated significant time to code reviewing and checking for adherence to code style. Additionally, I have employed Python to create additional code checks. It is worth mentioning that not all rules can be checked automatically, requiring manual effort in certain cases.
"Now, hold on!" you might ask, "Are we jumping straight into coding?" My answer is a resounding "Nope".
Before embarking on the coding phase, it is vital to consider code documentation. Since the FVA Software employs two programming languages, it is imperative to establish clear documentation rules for both C++ and Python.
Consequently, I have familiarized myself with documenting C++ code using Doxygen markdown and have gained proficiency in generating documentation based on Doxygen markdown. It's quite remarkable how confident I am now in configuring Doxygen.
Finally, we can proceed to the coding phase! For the development of FVA Software, I have chosen the versatile QT library, which supports multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux Ubuntu. Since the software requires a user interface (UI), I initially utilized QWidgets, including components like QWizard and QWizardPage.
However, I soon realized that employing QML would offer a more streamlined approach for UI implementation. Therefore, my plan is to transition from QWidgets to QML.
I was pleasantly surprised by the ease of utilizing QT for creating a multimedia content player. The flexibility of QT allows me to work with multiple UI languages. To facilitate this, QT suggests using the following components:
Additionally, I discovered that working with SQLite using QT is remarkably straightforward.
However, I later made the decision to switch from SQLite to CSV for data storage.
As my project involves working with two programming languages, I needed to establish a means of integrating Python code into the C++ application.
Last but not least, I acquired knowledge on how to create a riff parser, adding another valuable capability to the project.
The history of internal metadata formats in FVA Software reveals the evolution of how the software stored and managed metadata. Initially, the metadata was kept at the file system level inside the Photo Album. Each folder in the Photo Album had two files: folderDescription.json and description.csv.
The folderDescription.json file stored information that was common to all files within a folder, such as device ID, tags, people, place, and event.
On the other hand, description.csv was used to store information about files under a folder that had different internal metadata. It had columns for
- Name
- Place
- People
- Device
- WhoTook
- Description
- Scaner
However, this approach of storing metadata at the file system level had limitations in terms of flexibility and maintainability. Adding or modifying a column in folderDescription.json or description.csv would require updating the entire photo album file system structure.
To address these limitations, the decision was made to move the folderDescription.json and description.csv files to an SQLite database. The database schema was designed to store the same information as before. During the import of new files to the photo album, the FVA software created SQL updates to the database. These SQL updates were saved to be able to recreate the SQL at any time. Although this approach improved flexibility and maintainability compared to the file system approach, merging folders in the photo album still caused significant changes in the SQL updates.
Finally, it was decided to consolidate all the information into a single CSV file for internal metadata. This CSV file does not keep track of which folder a file is stored in, allowing for easier merging of folders without issues. However, it results in some duplication of information since common information for all files in a folder is simply copied.
"And what did you learn?" you might ask. The lesson learned is that before implementation, it is crucial to consider how easily you will maintain product changes.
The history of internal metadata formats in FVA Software demonstrates the importance of designing a system architecture that is flexible and maintainable from the start.
| # | Name | Source | Release date | Author | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FVA Tool Set features | local resource | 01/06/2022 | Dmytro Nikulin | |
| 2 | What I learned as an Application Architect | GitHub | |||
| 3 | What I learned as a Delivery Manager | GitHub | |||
| 4 | What I learned as a DevOps | GitHub | |||
| 5 | What I learned as a Product Manager | GitHub | |||
| 6 | What I learned as a Subject Matter Expert | GitHub | |||
| 7 | What I Learned As a Tester | GitHub | |||
| 8 | Why I decided to create my photo organizer? | GitHub | |||
| 9 | Modern C++ Template | GitHub |