In software development, when writing code, it’s important to look for ways to make small improvements, such as by removing unnecessary spaces, adding or clarifying comments, improving logic structures, and getting rid of nested loops. In short, when refactoring, the idea is to look for any anti-patterns, or “bad design smells,” that make code harder to maintain and/or degrade code performance. When refactoring, the basic functionality from the user’s perspective does not change, aside from improvements to efficiency or performance, which the user may or may not notice. Refactoring is also a key component in test-first development approaches, such as Test Driven Development (TDD).
Related Media
Refactoring Video
Refactoring Podcasts
Refactoring Example
Related Subjects
Acknowledgements
Authored by Philip Rogers
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