What do you do if your code needs refactoring?

Before refactoring your code, look for signs of "code smells" which indicate underlying issues in your codebase. These can include duplication, where the same functionality is repeated in multiple places, long methods, which can be difficult to understand and maintain; meaningless variable names, which reduce code readability, and complex conditionals, which make it hard to follow the logic flow. By addressing these code smells, you can improve the overall quality, readability, and maintainability of your codebase.

I always suggest a full from-scratch rewrite every time. Got a bug? Time for a codebase rewrite. Need to add a feature? Another rewrite. Bored on a Tuesday night? Rewrite. The great part about this strategy is you don't have to worry about writing maintainable code or adding comments because you will probably never look at it again anyway. This is everything I have learned after 2 years of professional hackathon experience which has taught me to bang out MVPs as quickly as possible and leave before facing the consequences. Managers love me. Coworkers fear me.

1- Define Problems & Issues 2- Use Simple Design [Patterns] 3- Keep it Simple and Stupid [KISS] 4- Write Tests befor Code 5- Refactor [Bit by Bit] 6- Review & Deliver 7- Documentation everywhere

Keep it small The best way to refactor code is to break it into smaller, more manageable chunks and focus on one piece at a time. Never refactor everything in one go.

One can always find issues to refactor - but does the refactoring serve the business? In my view, Improvement points can become “issues” when either one of these apply: - the feature is related to the 1-year roadmap - potential accumulation of tech debt - the feature is in a core product where a lot of code is added on top - disruption of availability with scale - so, it is part of a core product that will not survive growth - developer efficiency - refactoring will avoid wasting the precious time and attention span of engineers - And, the most important point that should apply, it is worth it financially. As of, the future time saved or the future revenue gained will make up for the effort.

Adding to above points: 1. Writing pure functions whenever possible 2. Making sure if due to project deadline you are leaving any technical debt you come back and rewrite it and make it a discpline.

Before we dive into anything, let's take a moment to understand the business objective. Once we've got a good grasp of what we're working towards, we can break it down into several smaller goals or tasks. This will make everything much more manageable and easier to accomplish.

It's essential to approach it systematically to improve its structure, readability, and maintainability. First, analyze the code to identify areas that require refactoring, such as duplicated code, overly complex logic, or poor naming conventions. Prioritize these areas based on their impact on the codebase and the potential benefits of refactoring. Next, create a plan for refactoring, breaking down the task into smaller, manageable steps to avoid introducing errors or breaking functionality. Write tests to ensure that the refactored code behaves as expected and provides the same functionality as before. Refactor the code incrementally, making small changes and testing. Throughout the process, document changes made to ensure transparency.

Plan your refactoring by defining goals (readability, maintainability etc.) and splitting the work into small chunks. Choose a refactoring technique and prioritize strong testing (unit tests!) Document the plan and communicate with your team. Start small, iterate, and leverage code analysis tools for assistance. This will keep your refactoring focused and minimize risks.

Define Goals: What problems are you solving (readability, complexity, etc.)? Set SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound goals for the refactoring session (e.g., improve readability by X% in Y time). Limit Scope: Choose a specific part of the codebase (module, function, class) to avoid overwhelming changes. Understand the Code: Review existing code, functionality, dependencies, and documentation. Break Down Tasks: Divide the refactoring process into smaller, manageable steps. Minimize Risks: Use version control and unit tests to ensure safety and reversibility.

In my experience,Testing is an essential practice before refactoring existing code. - Unit tests are assets for isolating and validating individual components. If the codebase lacks tests, creating a comprehensive test suite should be the top priority. - A cross coverage provides a safety net, ensuring that the refactored code maintains its intended behavior. - Leveraging appropriate testing frameworks and achieving high test coverage instills confidence in the refactoring process, minimizing the risk of introducing new bugs. Also to add on the above perspective on high test coverage using test frameworks architectural understanding to implement either ways of pre-post refactoring.

Writing tests were very important to avoid bugs later. Especially, I was saved many number of times with null reference exceptions by writing tests prior to publishing my code. I strongly suggest to think about all the use cases and edge cases and write tests accordingly which definitely will less error prone

A thorough suit of both unit tests and system tests, built around well-defined requirements, enables engineers to write cleaner and more maintainable code as well as demonstrating to customers that their needs are reliably met.

Tests are your teammates during web app refactoring. They ensure changes don't break existing features, giving you confidence to refactor. Tests can also expose hidden bugs and make refactored code easier to understand by acting as living documentation. With tests by your side, you can refactor boldly and safely.

Tests are crucial in the refactoring process, serving as a safety net that ensures changes do not unintentionally alter the application's functionality and helps to catch any regressions introduced. If tests are missing, it is essential to write new ones that confirm the code behaves as expected, particularly in sensitive or complex areas. Additionally, adopting a Test-Driven Development (TDD) approach can be highly beneficial during the refactoring process.

If the structure of the system doesn't permit incremental refactoring, then achieving that agility should be the first goal of refactoring.

Having worked on projects of all scopes and sizes, I suggest not overthinking the refactoring process. Ideally it wouldn't be needed, with experience, quality software can often be written the right way the first time, but sometimes you can't get around it. In these situations the team will almost always know which areas of the codebase need love ahead of time as well as the design patterns best suited to shore them up. Tackle things incrementally (tests are your friend here so as to not introduce regressions) making sure to undertake a methodical & systematic approach to ensure the project is continuously moving forward (again experience is gold here). At the end you will have a well designed product that meets customer needs!

By refactoring incrementally, you can maintain the refactoring improvements without overwhelming the team or risking the stability of the system. Making small and incremental changes helps to isolate issues and reduces the risk of introducing new bugs. This approach allows for continual adaptation and improvement of the codebase.

Step wise incremental changes and testing to minimize build time. Some blanket refactoring can actually break the code or give unexpected outputs.

It's essential to approach it systematically to improve its structure, readability, and maintainability. First, analyze the code to identify areas that require refactoring, such as duplicated code, overly complex logic, or poor naming conventions. Prioritize these areas based on their impact on the codebase and the potential benefits of refactoring. Next, create a plan for refactoring, breaking down the task into smaller, manageable steps to avoid introducing errors or breaking functionality. Write tests to ensure that the refactored code behaves as expected. Refactor code incrementally, making small changes and testing each change thoroughly to maintain the code's integrity. Throughout the process, document changes to ensure transparency.

For every problem, we might have different solutions and everyone have a different perception about the problem. Make a healthy habit in the team of reviewing the peer's code and vice versa.

This is true for all development tasks, and not just refactoring. I recommend using Vibinex to ensure that all the affected modules are thoroughly reviewed before merging. Vibinex's auto-assign feature is especially useful for pull requests related to refactoring.

Focusing on reviewing and iterating ensures that the refactoring process not only improves the codebase but also contributes positively to the project’s goals. This approach creates a culture of continuous improvement and quality, which is crucial for maintaining high standards in software development.

A good way is to team up with someone and compare and contrast. Are each other’s ideas align? More often than not, you may not catch something the first time and sometimes walking away and coming back later makes finding errors easier.

Continue refactoring until you’re satisfied with the code’s quality and maintainability. • Remember that refactoring is an ongoing process, and it’s normal for code to need periodic improvements as requirements change and codebases grow.

Update any relevant documentation to reflect the changes you’ve made. • Document changes in the codebase, such as: • Adding comments to explain complex logic or why certain decisions were made. • Updating README files or documentation to reflect changes in functionality or APIs. • Adding or updating inline documentation to make the code easier to understand. • Ensure that your code is self-explanatory and easy for others to understand by reading the documentation.

Creating documents not only make understanding of the project for others easier, but also it will make you memorize things longer. This way people will know that why each change is applied to project and how to follow that guideline in further development. So always keep documents if you want to maintain the project for long time.

A well-documented codebase is a treasure trove for future developers, including yourself. It elucidates the system's architecture, delineates the components, and articulates the rationale behind pivotal design choices. While refactored code may exude clarity, documentation provides invaluable context and a bird's-eye view that transcends the intricacies of code. Ensure that your documentation is not only thorough but also accessible and up-to-date. Regularly revisit and refine it as the code evolves, aligning it with the current state of the system. By investing in documentation, you empower future developers to traverse the codebase with confidence and unravel its intricacies with ease.

yes, Create a documentation and publish it to all members of the team who are contributors of the project. Basically this gives guidelines about how our standards like naming conventions of variables, test cases, code in a testable way and many more.

Any new refactored functionality must be reflected in the documentation. Reflecting the reason that led to the refactoring as a lesson learned.

Freeze features. Deprecate codebase. Close company. Open a food truck. Seriously, there’s not much difference between a program and a recipe. They both need debugging and fail at random times for no reason, but one is delicious. Consider it.

First thing - ask yourself (and your team/manager) is it really needed? We - and more important, our customers - prefer ugly but working software rather then nice-clean-organized but non-functional software. Second - understand and communicate the risks and the price you and others are going to pay. Make sure the ROI is worth the effort. And only after you passed the first two steps, start considering a re-factoring. But do it very carefully, make sure your re-factoring does not become a complete re-cycling. The end goal of re-factoring is to save time, not to waste time.

Code refactoring is the process of improving the internal structure, readability, and maintainability of a software codebase without altering its external behavior or functionality.

First of all, this is a very controversial topic. Now, as with all other things in programming, the answer is, "It depends." It depends on the codebase and how you have maintained it over the years. It depends on the technical debts. If you are making a small change that affects the entire codebase, you should think multiple times. I mean, "If it works, don't touch it." But, consider that it is not impossible. It also depends on the environment. If everybody thinks they are experts(and they are actually not), then you will not be able to refactor it at all. If you somehow manage to do it, you end up with an even worse codebase. 😀🤣😉

Use IDE to refactor the code. Don’t refactor till your code works properly. Don’t refactor while working on a new feature. You won’t know what is causing an issue a new feature or a refactored code