I actually don't like this. Maybe it's just me, but I always read these as being condescending, written by someone who thinks that I won't take a suggestion without unnecessary pleasantries and/or begging, or they're frustrated and trying to mask it.
> “Could you please align these variable definitions so they’re easier to read?”
> “Could you align these variable definitions so they’re easier to read?”
I like the latter.
Maybe we just can't help but be offended by nitpicking words because we're all a little insecure from imposter's syndrome, I dunno.
There's actually differences between Australia and England in the utility of "please". In England, fines get paid faster and more reliably if you say "Please pay now". In Australia, they get paid faster and more reliably if you say "Pay now". If I got a fine that said "please pay now" I'd genuinely think I was freely allowed to not pay now if I didn't want to.
And when I was over there, it was really jarring/humorous where there were all these official signs saying "please do this, please don't do that", especially the ones that said "please don't do that, penalty 50 pounds".
So obviously this is regional. I don't really expect anyone to know who they're code reviewing for, but everyone should be aware that there's nothing universal in the interpretation of "please".
One way I write around it is to frame discussion in terms of "we" and not "you." I think "we" reinforces the collective ownership of the code and de-emphasizes the idea of the review being me vs. you.
I wrote more about this technique a couple years ago:
[0] https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/question-mark-...
Less flippantly (but still true), knowing that there's at least two ways to interpret something and that at least one of them may be humorous helps me remember not to assume bad intent when I hear or read something I don't like. Often it's just their clumsiness or my over-sensitivity.
On the other hand, perhaps it also helps me hear more of the slights that are in there too! You can't win 'em all.
[I think] variable definitions should be aligned so they're easier to read.
Maybe "please align the variable definitions."
When the reviewer prescribes a solution, it requires the author to push back if they want to solve the issue differently. For example, if they noticed they could delete the variable rather than align it.
Though, I'm used to code reviews where the author and reviewer are both professionals and equals. I suppose if the author is an unknown person submitting a patch, you might want to rely less on their professional judgement.
If you put it at the end it reads (to me, at least!) more like a polite request:
"Could you align these variable definitions so they're easier to read please?"
nit: align variable definitions for better readability
If it's a suggestion or new style that I think we should adopt moving forward, I'd say:
Do you think we should align these variable definitions? I think it improves readability.
Then, ideally I'd leave a non-blocking task for them so they can either do it or not but it's not holding up submission whichever way it goes.
Also, I'd likely raise a ticket against a style guide or project-level autoformatter for that class of suggestion, otherwise it just adds noise to every PR.
For example:
> "What do you think about changing these variable definitions so they're easier to read"?
This gives them a chance to reply and even disagree with what you're saying, because maybe your premise is actually misguided.
I often go with "I would align these variable definitions so they’re easier to read", to indicate it's a suggestion, but in the end it's up to you.
Even if it's some personal style thing, I don't perceive "Could you...?" as rude or anything.
If anything an exaggerated please could seem more insulting, as in "Could you please just do this simple thing ffs!?"
Anecdotally, in my team which spans individuals from each continent except Africa and the poles, US english speakers are the least likely to use 'please', whereas our APAC (asia-pacific) contributors use it liberally.
If it's really something subjective I would say "This would be nicer if..." or "I think that could be changed to..." Instead of formulating some almost passive-aggressive request with "please".
Of course, trying to accommodate everyone's unique perspective and behaviors would never scale, so instead we fabricate social norms that represent a sort of common denominator of human behavior. Part of these social norms are manners and polite behavior. These act as a sort of protocol for human interaction.
This all a long way of saying that even though you may think saying "please" is condescending or implies a favor, you are almost certainly in a vanishingly small minority and this will not serve you well socially.
I am trying to give you some insight into why you struggle with social interactions and often rub people the wrong way without intending to or even realizing it. My strong recommendation is you be polite even when you think you don't need to be.