Too often these days I am amazed at the lack of forethought that goes into harnessing the built in functionality of a platform. I am talking specifically about the code base here. I'm thinking from high level objects, down to single small functions.

Take a moment to step back and examine your code use. Was there a reason that you picked that language? I'm guessing that there would have been some sort of analysis of the technologies on offer, and you picked the one you currently have.

All too often people shoot off in random directions of development without really examining the functionality that a platform already provides.

My main field of development experience is coldFusion, so I'll use this as my example. An all too common example of this is the 'application.cfm', or 'application.cfc' file. This file is a directory level extender. IE any files in the same directory, or indeed sub directories will inherit properties set in it. This makes it ideal for things like user access, and session management, and general data persistence. In almost every custom built framework I have come across someone has decided that they would rather handle this is a different fashion. Now I'm not against writing custom code, far from it, but I think it is very important to know what your code base can already do - here's why:

• Why write functionality again, when it is already there?
• Its a standard function of the code base. Its generally going to be more efficient than anything your writing 'custom'
• Depending on wether your open source or not, it will have generally been tested by a huge variety of developers, and software companies. Has your custom function?
• Bringing in new staff, and contractors and introducing them to custom functionality is time consuming. Chances are they already know, or have at least heard of most of the in built platform functionality.

There are obviously exceptions to the rule, sometimes the intrinsic code simply does not do exactly what you want it to. So before you race off and write a huge error handler, or string replacement method, take a look around, you might find that it is in fact already under the hood.