Programming Rules of Thumb
Learn program patterns of general utility and use a relevant pattern (if you know one) for the problem at hand.
Seek inspiration by systematically working test data by hand. Be introspective; ask yourself: �What am I doing?�
Declare variables for each piece of information you maintain when working the problem by hand. Write comments that precisely describe the contents of each variable.
Remember the problem�s boundary conditions.
Validate your program by tracing it on simple test data.