Programming idiom
Common way to code a relatively small construct
In programming and in code, an idiom describes a commonly-used way to code a relatively small construct in a particular programming context (i.e. programming language). Many such constructs are found in multiple programming contexts yet tend to vary by context. Like a linguistic idiom, a programming idiom is a commonly-used way to express a concept in a language that exists outside the definition of the language yet is constrained by it.
Similar to a software design pattern, an idiom is a template to be followed, not code that can be copy-and-pasted into a codebase. In this sense, an idiom is a pattern, yet software design pattern is a classification reserved for significantly larger-scale functionality; usually involving the interaction of multiple objects.
Using the idioms for a programming context (instead of using idiosyncratic constructs) helps a team work together since they lower the cognitive load of the resulting code. Such idiomatic use is common in crowdsourced repositories to help developers overcome programming barriers.
01Examples
Writing to standard output
Writing to standard output is generally something covered early when learning a language; it is often presented through the task of writing a hello world program.
A common idiom in C++ like:
std::println("Hello World");For Java:
System.out.println("Hello World");For Rust:
println!("Hello World");For Python:
print("Hello, World")Using dynamic memory
In C, use the C dynamic memory allocation functions such as malloc() and free().
In C++, use the new and delete operators. The C dynamic memory allocation functions are usable in C++, but would generally be considered idiosyncratic.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Programming idiom”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.