33 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
33 lines
1.2 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: You need tests to refactor safely
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date: 2024-09-01
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permalink: daily/2024/09/01/you-need-tests-to-refactor-safely
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tags:
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- software-development
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- refactoring
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- automated-testing
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- test-driven-development
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cta: call
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snippet: |
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When refactoring, you should have automated tests to ensure it's done safely.
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drupal_planet: true
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---
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[Once you have working code][0], you can refactor it to make it better.
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You can rename variables, extract new functions or classes, ensure the code is styled and formatted correctly - anything to make the code easier to read, understand or maintain.
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But, the key thing is the code still needs to work.
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You don't want to break working code and introduce a regression, even if it is messy or difficult to read.
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The best way I know to approach this is by having automated tests covering this code, and ensure they are working and passing before starting to refactor.
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Then you can run the tests again and ensure they still pass.
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If they pass, the code still works and the refactoring was successful.
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If not, the code is broken and you need to revert the changes and start again.
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[0]: {{site.url}}/daily/2024/08/31/make-it-work-then-make-it-good
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