In software development, there is something we call "hard coding", it is when we specify things like variables or some input in such a way that it isn't subject to change. While some scenarios necessitate it, more often than not, it's bad to develop software solutions that way. The way things work in software development is such that code is meant to be reusable, for this to work, most parts of the page need to be dynamic not static and hard coding violates this principle, I will be explaining it using Hashnode as usual.
GENERALLY, DIGITAL PLATFORMS SHARE THE SAME STRUCTURE
Regardless of whether you're using Hashnode on desktop or on mobile, you will notice that the structure of your Hashnode web app isn't any different from that of the next person, what I mean is that your Hashnode appears the way other people's Hashnode appears. The only difference between your Hashnode and that of the next person is the content. The structure and layout of Hashnode are shared by everyone and this is made possible because the platform is dynamic. There are a set of variables that gives our Hashnode a bespoke feel.
WE HAVE A DATABASE THAT HELPS TO GIVE US USER-SPECIFIC CONTENT
There is a database that holds everyone's data, variables are a way to pull in the data relative to the individual in question as such when you're able to successfully log in, data that relates to you and is stored in the database is called. The variables aren't hard-coded which is why we can all log in at the same time and see information that is specific to us. If data were being hard-coded, when we log in on Hashnode, we should see exactly the same thing, without an iota of difference in the content available to you and the next person.
HARD-CODING WHILE DISCOURAGED IS SOMETIMES USEFUL
This is not to say that hard-coding is bad, there are situations when it is necessary and easier to use. In situations where one is creating a website, and people don't have to log in or have content shown to them depending on who they follow or are friends with, hard coding is fine. Web applications aren't the same as websites, web apps are more interactive, they are made to give a bespoke experience as such the variables that populate the page can't be hard-coded, the code is written in such a way that relates to the user details of the person accessing the platform.
HARCODING HELPS WITH PROTOTYPING
Hard-coding is also important when you're building the prototype of a software solution and you need to confirm if it works as it should, we usually create mock datasets in a way that mimics a real database and we try to call and/or manipulate said data. Without hard-coding in the earlier stages of software development, it would be much harder to be able to tell if a software solution is working till we actually deploy it on the internet and have people try it out, this can be very expensive and timewasting in the long run as such, hard-coding is very convenient at this stage.
The key takeaways are that there are platforms that are meant to be static, we call those platforms "Websites", there are platforms that are meant to be flexible, we call them applications and we avoid hard-coding them. With the advent of Single Page Application (SPA), it has become more important to ensure code reusability and this is possible because of the avoidance of hard-coding. Hard-coded platforms are generally harder to maintain or debug because you mostly have to correct the error in multiple places because you hard-coded them, using variables, you only have to fix it at a point and it takes effect everywhere.