When 'date' doesn't tell you what you need to know When 'date' doesn't tell you what you need to know TL;DR: Use descriptive date names that reveal their role and business purpose instead of generic "date" labels. TL;DR: Use descriptive date names that reveal their role and business purpose instead of generic "date" labels. Problems to Consider Unclear purpose
Maintenance nightmares
Poor readability
Debugging confusion
Names suggesting types
Vague and short names
Hidden intent
Wrong context
Extra guessing
Hard search
Misleading reuse
Ambiguous purpose
Reduced readability
Misinterpretation risk Unclear purpose Maintenance nightmares Poor readability Debugging confusion Names suggesting types Names suggesting types Vague and short names short Hidden intent Wrong context Extra guessing Hard search Misleading reuse Ambiguous purpose Reduced readability Misinterpretation risk Proposed Solutions 😃 Use descriptive names
Reveal business intent
Keep names consistent
Follow the domain language
Add semantic meaning
Improve code clarity
Add context words
Avoid generic terms
Replace comment with better names Use descriptive names Reveal business intent Keep names consistent consistent Follow the domain language Add semantic meaning Improve code clarity Add context words Avoid generic terms Replace comment with better names Replace comment with better names Refactorings https://refactoring.guru/rename-method?embedable=true https://refactoring.guru/rename-method?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-005-replace-comment-with-function-name?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/refactoring-005-replace-comment-with-function-name?embedable=true Context When you work with dates in your applications, you often encounter variables, methods, or attributes simply named 'date'. This generic naming forces other developers (including your future self) to dig through the code context to understand what the date represents. Does it track creation time? Publication date? Expiration date? Last modification date? The ambiguity creates maintenance overhead and increases the likelihood of defects when you mix up different date purposes. Sample Code 📖 Wrong class Article {
  final DateTime date;
  final String title;
  final String content;

  Article({
    required this.date,
    required this.title,
    required this.content,
  });
} class Article {
  final DateTime date;
  final String title;
  final String content;

  Article({
    required this.date,
    required this.title,
    required this.content,
  });
} Right 👉 class Article {
  final DateTime publishDate;
  final String title;
  final String content;

  Article({
    required this.publishDate,
    required this.title,
    required this.content,
  });
} class Article {
  final DateTime publishDate;
  final String title;
  final String content;

  Article({
    required this.publishDate,
    required this.title,
    required this.content,
  });
} Detection [x]Semi-Automatic [x]Semi-Automatic [x] You can detect this smell when you see variables, methods, or properties named generically as "date," "time," "timestamp," or similar non-descriptive temporal names. Look for methods that manipulate dates without clearly indicating which date they affect. Code review tools and static analysis can flag generic naming patterns; however, manual inspection often reveals the business context more effectively. Comments explaining what a date represents are also worth searching for. Multiple date fields with numeric suffixes (date1, date2) are another hint. Exceptions 🛑 Sometimes you work with truly generic date utilities or abstract interfaces where the specific date purpose varies by implementation. In these rare cases, generic naming might be appropriate, but you should document the expected semantics clearly. Tag(s) Naming Naming Level [x]Beginner [x]Beginner [x] Why Bijection Is Important Your code should maintain a clear one-to-one correspondence between real-world concepts and their programmatic representations. When you name a date generically, you break this bijection by forcing readers to infer the real-world meaning from context. In the real world, dates have specific purposes: publication dates, creation dates, expiration dates, and birthdates. Your code should reflect these distinct concepts directly through naming, creating an unambiguous mapping between domain concepts and code elements A publishDate corresponds to an actual publishing date in life. publishDate If you use date, you break this mapping. date mapping Notes on AI Generation 🤖 AI code generators frequently create this smell because they default to generic naming patterns when they lack specific business context. They often suggest "date" as a safe, universal name without considering the domain-specific purpose of the temporal data. Some AI generators create this smell because they favor brevity, naming it date instead of clarifying its role. date AI Detection 🧲 AI tools can easily identify and fix this smell when you provide clear instructions about the business domain and the specific purpose of each date attribute and method. Modern AI assistants excel at suggesting contextually appropriate names when provided with adequate domain-specific information. Try Them! Try Them! Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Remember: AI Assistants make lots of mistakes Suggested Prompt: replace any generic date/time variable names with descriptive names that clearly indicate their business purpose. For each date field, consider what specific moment or event it represents in the domain (creation, publication, expiration, last access, etc.) and name it accordingly Suggested Prompt: replace any generic date/time variable names with descriptive names that clearly indicate their business purpose. For each date field, consider what specific moment or event it represents in the domain (creation, publication, expiration, last access, etc.) and name it accordingly Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



You

You



Gemini

Gemini



DeepSeek

DeepSeek



Meta AI

Meta AI



Grok

Grok



Qwen

Qwen Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions



ChatGPT

ChatGPT



Claude

Claude



Perplexity

Perplexity



Copilot

Copilot



You

You



Gemini

Gemini



DeepSeek

DeepSeek



Meta AI

Meta AI



Grok

Grok



Qwen

Qwen Without Proper Instructions

With Specific Instructions Without Proper Instructions Without Proper Instructions With Specific Instructions With Specific Instructions ChatGPT

ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT ChatGPT Claude

Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Claude Perplexity

Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Perplexity Copilot

Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot Copilot You

You You You You You You You Gemini

Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini Gemini DeepSeek

DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek DeepSeek Meta AI

Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Meta AI Grok

Grok Grok Grok Grok Grok Grok Grok Qwen

Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Qwen Conclusion When you use generic names, you shift the burden to the reader. Choose names that tell the story of the business. Naming dates specifically isn't just pedantry. It's about making your code communicate its intent clearly. The few extra characters you type save countless minutes of confusion for future readers, including your future self. Related Reading https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xiii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xiii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-vii-8dk31x0 https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-vii-8dk31x0 https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxiii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxiii https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxv https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-viii-8mn3352 https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-viii-8mn3352 https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxix https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-xxxix https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-viii-8mn3352 https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-viii-8mn3352 Additional Info https://hackernoon.com/what-exactly-is-a-name-the-quest-part-i-fmw3udc https://hackernoon.com/what-exactly-is-a-name-the-quest-part-i-fmw3udc https://hackernoon.com/what-exactly-is-a-name-rehab-part-ii-4st3uph https://hackernoon.com/what-exactly-is-a-name-rehab-part-ii-4st3uph Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. Disclaimer: Code Smells are my opinion. opinion Credit: Lead image by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Credit: Lead image by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash Towfiqu barbhuiya Unsplash Precise naming is a design decision, not a cosmetic one. Precise naming is a design decision, not a cosmetic one. Eric Evans Eric Evans https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/400-thought-provoking-software-engineering-quotes?embedable=true This article is part of the CodeSmell Series. https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true https://hackernoon.com/how-to-find-the-stinky-parts-of-your-code-part-i-xqz3evd?embedable=true

Walkthroughs, tutorials, guides, and tips. This story will teach you how to do something new or how to do something better.

Refactoring 005 - Replace Comment With Function Name

Buy My Book

Code Smell 310 – Why Generic Date Names Break Your Code

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

Untitled Story

10 Predictions About the Future of Finance

106 Stories To Learn About Clean Code

100 Pieces of Programming Advice from the Book Clean Code by Robert Martin

110 Stories To Learn About Refactoring

3 Things Coding And Prose Writing Have In Common According To Cory House

10 Predictions About the Future of Finance

106 Stories To Learn About Clean Code

100 Pieces of Programming Advice from the Book Clean Code by Robert Martin

110 Stories To Learn About Refactoring

3 Things Coding And Prose Writing Have In Common According To Cory House

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps