How to Find the Stinky Parts of Your Code (Part II)

There are more code smells. Let’s keep changing the aromas. We see several symptoms and situations that make us doubt the quality of our development. Let's look at some possible solutions. Most of these smells are just of something that might be wrong. They are not rigid rules. hints This is part II. Part I can be found , Part III , and . here here Part IV Part V Code Smell 06 - Too Clever Programmer The code is difficult to read, there are tricky with names without semantics. Sometimes using language's accidental complexity. Image Source: NeONBRAND on Unsplash Problems Readability Maintainability Code Quality Premature Optimization Solutions Refactor the code Use better names Examples Optimized loops Exceptions Optimized code for low-level operations. Sample Code Wrong Right Detection Automatic detection is possible in some languages. Watch some warnings related to complexity, bad names, post increment variables, etc. Also Known as Obfuscator Conclusion Too clever developers write cryptic code to brag. Smart developers write clean code. Clean beats clever, every time. Tags Declarative Code Smell 07 - Boolean Variables Using boolean variables as flags expose accidental implementation and pollutes the code with Ifs. Image Source: Phil Hearing on Unsplash Problems Extensibility Comparison in some languages Solutions If Boolean maps to a real-world entity it's safe. Otherwise model as a State to favor Extensibility. This also follows . Open/Closed Principle Examples Flags Exceptions Real-world true/false rules Sample Code Wrong Right Detection Automatic detection can warn for boolean usage but this can yield false positives. Relations Some languages have issues with boolean comparators. If these are coupled with accidental complex languages, booleans are a common error source. Also Known As Flag Abuser Tags Declarative Primitive Conclusion Take extra care when declaring something . Flags are difficult to maintain and extend. Learn more about the domain or try migrating to . Use polymorphism instead of ifs/switch/cases. boolean state design pattern Code Smell 08 - Long Chains Of Collaborations Making long chains generate coupling and ripple effect. Any chain change breaks the code. Image Source: Chewy on Unsplash Problems Coupling Breaks encapsulation Solutions Create intermediate methods. Think about . Law of Demeter Create higher level messages. Sample Code Wrong Right Detection Automatic detection is possible using parsing trees. Also Known As Law of Demeter Tags Declarative Encapsulation Conclusion Avoid successive message calls. Try to hide the intermediate collaborations and create new protocols. Code Smell 09 — Dead Code Code that is no longer used or needed. Image Source: Ray Shrewsberry on Pixabay Problems Maintainability Solutions Remove the code KISS Examples Gold plating code or code. Yagni Exceptions Avoid metaprogramming. When used it is very difficult to find references to the code. Laziness Chapter I: Meta-Programming Sample Code Wrong Right Detection Coverage tools can find dead code (uncovered) if you have a great suite of tests. Tags Unnecessary Conclusion Remove dead code for simplicity. If you are uncertain of some code you can temporarily disable it using . Removing code is always more rewarding than adding. Feature Toggle Code Smell 10 — Too Many Arguments Objects or Functions need too many arguments to work. Image Source: Tobias Tullius on Unsplash Problems Low maintainability Low Reuse Coupling Solutions Find cohesive relations among arguments Create a “context”. Consider using a Pattern. Method Object Avoid “basic” types: strings, arrays, integers, etc. Think about objects. Exceptions Operations in real world needing not cohesive collaborators. Sample Code Wrong Right Detection Most linters warn when the arguments list is too large. Tags Primitive Conclusion Relate similar arguments and group them. Always favor real-world mappings. Find in the real-world how to group the arguments in cohesive objects. If a function has too many arguments, some of them might be related to the class construction. This is a design smell too. That's all for now! More code smells coming soon!