Abbreviating words can slow development and add uncertainty. This is because vowels and correct spelling improve comprehension. So it is good practice to leave full words in the code where possible and be consistent with your usage.
Abbreviation can be tempting when the word is very long but usually truncation of the word works better than abbreviation. Remember that your personal idea of how an abbreviation should work will rarely match someone else's , so it is better not to abbreviate at all.
However there are some widely used abbreviations for long words that have become acceptable. You should restrict yourself to a small set like this one:
-
Long Word
Abbreviation
administration
admin
application
app
authentication
auth
average
avg (matches min/max/avg)
buffer
buf
configuration
config
database
db
implementation
impl
information
info
iterator
i
Index
index,i,j,k (not lower case L because it looks like a 1)
input
in
maximum
max (matches min/max/avg)
message
msg
milliseconds
msecs or millis
minimum
min (matches min/max/avg)
output
out
parameter
param or parm
reference
ref
statistics
stats
temporary
temp
transaction
txn
utilities
utils
Abbreviations that never caught on:
-
Abbreviation
Why
buff
Why not “buf” or buffer?
trnsxn
Why a removal and replacement of some letters but not others?
stat
Is it Statistics or State or Status?
mg
Is it Microgram or Milligram? This confusion has killed when used for prescriptions.
ass
Assistants would rather be called Assistants.
gnrtdNxtItmTtl
To save just eight vowels, readability is compromised.
fromDate2Date
Uses unprofessional “leet-speak” to substitute a word with a number. Don't use leet-speak at all in professional work.
Summary: Use full words rather than abbreviate. Be consistent. Follow only the common set of abbreviations, don't make up your own.
