Programming Best Practices for Technical Writers – Modularity

Welcome to the sixth installment of my series on essential programming best practices for technical writers. In the previous post, I covered the concept of polymorphism. In this post, we’ll shift our focus to the principle of modularity.

Modularity is a design strategy that involves dividing a system into smaller, self-contained units or modules, each with a specific responsibility. These modules encapsulate distinct functionalities, allowing them to be developed, maintained, and tested independently. This approach improves software quality and is vital for managing complexity, especially in large systems.

At its core, modularity revolves around key elements such as encapsulation, separation of concerns, interface design, and inter-module interaction.

• Encapsulation ensures that each module remains self-contained, hiding its internal workings from other modules. This keeps the system organized and reduces dependencies, as discussed earlier in this series.
• Separation of concerns dictates that each module handles a specific aspect of the system’s overall functionality. For example, in a web application, one module might be dedicated to user authentication, another to data processing, and yet another to rendering the user interface. This clear division helps maintain the system’s modular structure and manageability.
• Modules interact with one another through clearly defined interfaces. These interfaces determine what external functionality is available, keeping the internal workings hidden. This decoupling allows modules to be replaced or updated without affecting the rest of the system. Public methods in a class, for example, serve as the interface, allowing controlled interaction with other parts of the system.

Knowledge of modularity helps technical writers create well-organized documentation by breaking it down into smaller, self-contained sections or modules. This modular approach makes the content easier to navigate and understand, as each module addresses a specific topic or functionality.

These are the basic programming best practices for technical writers. Next, learn about how you can implement these things when documenting OOP libraries.