22.3 Word Choice

It's wise to avoid using class names duplicated in heavily used namespaces. For instance, do not use the following for a class name:

System       Collections   Forms       UI

Also avoid using identifiers that conflict with common keywords; remember that all keywords must be escapable (and therefore usable) within any .NET language, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do. Avoid the identifier names listed in Table 22-1.

Table 22-1. Common keywords best avoided in class names

AddHandler	AddressOf	Alias	And	Ansi
As	Assembly	Auto	BitAnd	BitNot
BitOr	BitXor	Boolean	ByRef	Byte
ByVal	Call	Case	Catch	CBool
CByte	CChar	CDate	CDec	CDbl
Char	CInt	Class	CLng	CObj
Const	CShort	CSng	CStr	CType
Date	Decimal	Declare	Default	Delegate
Dim	Do	Double	Each	Else
ElseIf	End	Enum	Erase	Error
Eval	Event	Exit	Extends	ExternalSource
False	Finally	For	Friend	Function
Get	GetType	Goto	Handles	If
Implements	Imports	In	Inherits	Integer
Interface	Is	InstanceOf	Let	Lib
Like	Long	Loop	Me	Mod
Module	MustInherit	MustOverride	MyBase	MyClass
Namespace	New	Next	Not	Nothing
NotInheritable	NotOverridable	Object	On	Option
Optional	Or	Overloads	Overridable	Overrides
Package	ParamArray	Preserve	Private	Property
Protected	Public	RaiseEvent	ReadOnly	ReDim
Region	REM	RemoveHandler	Resume	Return
Select	Set	Shadows	Shared	Short
Single	Static	Step	Stop	String
Structure	Sub	SyncLock	Then	Throw
To	True	Try	TypeOf	Unicode
Until	Var	Variant	When	While
With	WithEvents	WriteOnly	Xor

Try to avoid using abbreviations in identifiers (including parameter names), but if doing so renders the name more unintelligible, use camel-casing rules for any abbreviation over two characters, even if this is not the standard abbreviation. (Thus, the compound name "XML reader" should be called "XmlReader").