oliverdavies.uk/content/node.5dbba89e-cd61-403e-ac30-8bd0cd9e203e.json

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    "title": [
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            "value": "Version-controlled commented-out code\n"
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            "value": "\n          <p>Today, whilst debugging some legacy code within an application, I found several blocks of commented-out code.<\/p>\n\n<p>Some were previous debugging code which had been commented out, and some were old components or previous implementations - but instead of being removed when they were no longer needed, they remained in the codebase as commented-out lines - inactive but adding noise and complexity around the code that I was trying to understand and debug.<\/p>\n\n<p>To make it easier for me to figure out this code, I'd like it to be as clean to read and as simple to understand as possible.<\/p>\n\n<p>The codebase is version-controlled, so why would there be a need to comment out and keep the lines?<\/p>\n\n<p>Version control systems have a log of each change, so if you need to see previous changes, you can view the log and see what changed, when, and by who.<\/p>\n\n<p>You can also see any other files that were changed in the same commit, and usually, there will be a reference to the issue or ticket that required that change.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you need to re-add a change that had been removed, you can either do this manually or by reverting the commit.<\/p>\n\n<p>Should there be commented-out code within a codebase if it's version controlled? I'd say no unless there's a good reason for it to be there and it's providing some additional context or for a specific purpose. If it's an outdated implementation, some old debugging code, or a component that's no longer needed, I think that it should be removed, and people can use version control tools to find or re-introduce those changes if needed.<\/p>\n\n        ",
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            "processed": "\n          <p>Today, whilst debugging some legacy code within an application, I found several blocks of commented-out code.<\/p>\n\n<p>Some were previous debugging code which had been commented out, and some were old components or previous implementations - but instead of being removed when they were no longer needed, they remained in the codebase as commented-out lines - inactive but adding noise and complexity around the code that I was trying to understand and debug.<\/p>\n\n<p>To make it easier for me to figure out this code, I'd like it to be as clean to read and as simple to understand as possible.<\/p>\n\n<p>The codebase is version-controlled, so why would there be a need to comment out and keep the lines?<\/p>\n\n<p>Version control systems have a log of each change, so if you need to see previous changes, you can view the log and see what changed, when, and by who.<\/p>\n\n<p>You can also see any other files that were changed in the same commit, and usually, there will be a reference to the issue or ticket that required that change.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you need to re-add a change that had been removed, you can either do this manually or by reverting the commit.<\/p>\n\n<p>Should there be commented-out code within a codebase if it's version controlled? I'd say no unless there's a good reason for it to be there and it's providing some additional context or for a specific purpose. If it's an outdated implementation, some old debugging code, or a component that's no longer needed, I think that it should be removed, and people can use version control tools to find or re-introduce those changes if needed.<\/p>\n\n        ",
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