7 Mistakes Every .Net Developer would Regret

Microsoft frequently adds new features to the .NET environment to make it easier for developers to make interactive, robust and secure web applications. But the performance and popularity of .NET application are often impacted negatively by several minor mistakes committed by the developers at the application level. Some of the mistakes like forgetting to sign off or typos can be identified and fixed within a few moments of time. But there are a number of mistakes that will have a huge impact on the efficiency and performance of the application and every .NET developers would regret.

7 Mistakes Every .NET Developer Must Avoid at the Application Level

1. Cross-Browser Compatibility Issues: The choice of web browsers varies from one user to another. A large percentage of users access the web applications using Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. But many testing reports have highlighted that certain issues can affect the cross-browser compatibility of .NET web applications. For instance, the minor problems related to positioning of elements will have a negative impact on the performance of the application. So you must use a customized testing tool to check how the application works on most of these widely used web browsers.

2. Documenting and Reusing the Code: Most developers forget to document their code properly. But a programmer must remember that he is working as part of the development team. So the code must be documented to make it easier for other developers to upgrade the code. He can simply add comments at the right sections to make it easier to access the codes. Also, most users reuse code to save their time and efforts. When they are writing the code, it is important to concentrate on separating the user-control and sever elements. The separation between different elements will make your code more reusable.

3. Unnecessarily Breaking the Stack: According to MSDN guidelines, a programmer is required to use a lone throw to preserve the stack trace for the original exception. But many .NET programmers commit the simple mistake, and break the stack while throwing exceptions. They can simply review the code to fix the problem, and avoid losing the stack trace. The preservation of stack trace will further make it easier for them to debug the web application, along with capturing the exact error details in the error log.

4. Not Disposing the IDisposable Object Properly: The MSDN guidelines further recommend the programmers to declare and instantiate each IDisposable object in a using statement. Also, the using statement is effective in calling the Dispose method on the object in an exact way. As soon as the method is called, the object will immediately go out of scope. But programmers often forget to use the using statement to initiate the object. So the object often does not get disposed properly.

5. Inadequate Data Verification: While writing codes programmers often forget that the data can be processed and manipulated in a number of different ways in the application code. So each type of data must be verified properly for its validity as well as integrity. For instance, you must read the data from a backend database to ensure that it is not returning a null character. Before you continue the execution process, it is important to check all types of data. Once you identify the data that return null values, it will be easier for you to handle the exceptions properly.

6. Using Web Services in Each .NET Application: Often programmers think that web services are an integral part of each .NET application development project. So they use a variety of web services in their application without evaluating their pros and cons. The right web services can be implemented to boost the performance of your web application. But one must evaluate the nature, types and use of the application to decide if web service is relevant and necessary. A developer can even consider using some other technologies like remoting to avail the advantages of web services.

7. Ignoring Unit Tests: Most software development companies deploy a team of dedicated testers to evaluate the .NET applications. But each .NET programmer must unit test the web application to identify and fix minor problems as early as possible. If the programmer is not using ASP.Net MVC framework, it will be tough for him to unit test the website. But he can test each unit by incorporating code-behind logic into various components that can be included in the library. He can even consider using .ashx files instead of HTTPHandlers, as these files can be easily placed in individual libraries.

Most of these common errors can be avoided by understanding .NET development best practices. Along with the best practices suggested by Microsoft, you can also use some of the tips and tricks used by other developers to build powerful application by eliminating chances of committing coding errors.

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