The SquizLog

Pass the Gas Mask!

Ever found yourself in a seemingly never-ending spiral of attempts to refactor code with the aim of getting it into a fit state to implement a change?

You spend some time analysing a method to understand what it's doing and then do the right thing and refactor it, perhaps using the Compose Method refactoring. Then you find something else that, to use the refactoring jargon, smells. You make that code better, pat yourself on the back and prepare to start implementing the changed behaviour. But you can't; there's yet more pungent code blocking your path to an elegant solution that will be better in the long run.

Sometimes I think the Code Smell metaphor is too mild. Even Code Stench can be insufficient. The image of being trapped in a sewer full of toxic fumes would be more apt.

Pass the gas mask and show me the way out of here!