🛠️ Refactoring¶
Refactoring is improving the internal structure of code without changing what it does. The goal is to make code easier to understand and safer to modify.
✅ When to Refactor¶
- When you spot repeated code (DRY)
- When a function/class is doing too much (low cohesion)
- When adding a feature feels risky (high coupling)
- After fixing a bug (so it doesn’t come back)
✅ Refactoring Safety¶
Refactoring is safest when you have a safety net:
- Good automated tests
- Small, incremental changes
- Frequent re-running of examples/tests
✅ Common Refactoring Moves¶
- Extract function / extract class
- Rename for clarity
- Replace conditionals with polymorphism (when appropriate)
- Introduce value objects instead of primitive obsession
- Reduce parameter lists by grouping data
🔍 Key Takeaways¶
- Refactor in small steps and keep behavior the same.
- Use design principles to guide what to refactor.
- Prefer clarity over cleverness.