EP 48 : Refactoring in C#

Read Time : 3 Mins

Refactoring in C# is the process of restructuring and improving the internal structure of your code without altering its external behavior.

The goal is to enhance :

• Efficiency

• Code readability

• Maintainability

When should we refactor the code

These are some situations when we should refactor the code

1. Refactor when the code becomes hard to read or understand

2. When you see a code smell its time to refactor

3. Refactor when fixing bugs ( if you feel need of it)

4. Refactor the code when better performance is your concern. Although it should be kept in mind while developing first time.

5. Integrate refactoring when dealing with legacy code to modernize and align it with current coding standards and practices

Important : Make sure that your all test cases pass after refactoring the code

Common refactoring techniques

Here are some common refactoring techniques in C#:

1/ Create a new method to encapsulate a portion of existing code

If you have a lengthy code block performing a specific task within a method, you can extract that block into a separate method with a meaningful name.

Suppose we have this code :

It can be replaced with this :

2/  Improve code clarity by giving variables more descriptive and meaningful names

If a variable has a vague or misleading name, renaming it can improve code clarity

3/ Replace hard-coded numerical values with named constants

If you have a constant value used in multiple places, define it as a named constant to enhance code readability and maintainability.

4/ Group related parameters into a single object to simplify method signatures

If a method has multiple parameters that logically belong together, create a parameter object to make the method more cohesive.

5/ Replace conditional statements with polymorphic behavior through inheritance and interfaces

If you have a series of conditional statements that determine the behavior of an object, consider using polymorphism for a more extensible and maintainable solution.

6/ Replace a class hierarchy with composition to achieve greater flexibility and maintainability

Instead of using deep class hierarchies, favor composition to assemble behavior from smaller, more focused components.

7/ Define an interface based on the public methods of a class to promote loose coupling and flexibility

If multiple classes share similar behavior, extract an interface to enable polymorphism and interchangeability.

8/ Give appropriate variable names in lengthy expressions for better understanding

In this refactoring, we break down the complex expression into more manageable parts.

Happy Refactoring :)

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