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Refactor Long Method with a Lightweight DAG
Tame complex workflows and simplify testing with the Command design pattern
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Reviewing some legacy code lately has given me a headache.
The main issue is one massive function crammed with every piece of logic spread out flat inside it. I have to say, this is what I consider the worst kind of “code smell.”
You might ask, “But this function works fine, so what’s wrong with it?”
If it were a static function with no further iterations needed, that’d be fine. But if this function still requires iterations, or worse, isn’t even stable yet with a bunch of process bugs still needing fixing, then it’s absolutely terrible.
Modifying the flow of a massive function is challenging, whether adding conditional checks or introducing new steps. First, developers must understand every existing process to grasp the context and make changes.
After spending tremendous effort to understand the function and complete the modification, the next problem is how to test it.
If it’s a massive function, I believe its unit tests are likely filled with various mocks. Once part of the logic is modified, the…
