What information developers can learn from software developers

The shift in information development from a narrative to a modular writing style reflects the established shift towards modularization of source code. What can information developers learn from software developers? What are the challenges and benefits of the modular approach?

Text by Paul Higgins

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What information developers can learn from software developers
Let's look at some modern software development practices – modularization, testing and reuse – and compare them to their counterparts in information development.

Modularization

What is a modular code in software development? Writing modular code means breaking a program down into smaller and more manageable sub modules, rather than creating one large program. Hence, the task of writing code can be broken down into smaller tasks. Also, a section of code can be tested independently. With large monolithic blocks of code, however, it becomes more difficult to track down errors or to add functionality. Two terms that you might come across in software development are SRP (Single Responsibility Principle) and DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself). SRP is about a class doing only one thing and doing it well. DRY is about storing a piece of functionality or module in one single place. Over time as you ...