Often I come across what I like to call “Misplaced Code”, that is, code which should be refactored to a specific, independent concern rather than mistakenly being defined in an incorrect context.

For instance, consider the following example to get a better idea of what I mean:

Taking the above example into a broader context, it is quite common to see code such as this scattered throughout a codebase; particularly in the context of view concerns. At best this could become hard to maintain and, at worst, it will result in unexpected bugs down the road. In most cases (as in the above example) the actual code itself is not necessarily bad, however it is the context in which it is placed which is what I would like to highlight as it will almost certainly cause technical debt to some extent.

Considering the above example, should code such as this become redundantly implemented throughout a codebase it is quite easy to see how it can become a maintenance issue as, something as simple as a change to a hostname would require multiple refactorings. A much more appropriate solution would be to encapsulate this logic within a specific class whose purpose is to provide a facility from which this information can be determined. In this manner unnecessary redundancy would be eliminated (as well as risk) and valuable development time would be regained as the code would need only be tested and written once – in one place.

So again, using the above example, this could be refactored to a specific API and client code would leverage the API as in the following:

This may appear quite straightforward, however, I have seen examples (this one in particular) in numerous projects over the years and it is worth pointing out. Always take the context to which code is placed into consideration and you will reap the maintenance benefits in the long run.

Throughout my career I have always been drawn to books which provide a practical way of thinking about software. Books of this nature have an emphasis on the fundamental principles which apply to all software engineering disciplines; and form much of the basis of the Agile methodologies many of us have come to appreciate.

From time to time I find myself going back to the seminal text The Pragmatic Programmer as it provides a great source of what should be kept in mind from day to day. I thought I would share some tips from the book with my readers that I find of particular value, and would be happy to explain them at length; in the context of real world software challenges.

Care About Your Craft
Why spend your life developing software unless you care about doing it well?

Provide Options, Don’t Make Lame Excuses
Instead of excuses, provide options. Don’t say it can’t be done; explain what can be done.

Critically Analyze What You Read and Hear
Don’t be swayed by vendors, media hype, or dogma. Analyze information in terms of you and your project.

Design with Contracts
Use contracts to document and verify that code does no more and no less than it claims to do.

Refactor Early, Refactor Often
Just as you might weed and rearrange a garden, rewrite, rework, and re-architect code when it needs it. Fix the root of the problem.

Costly Tools Don’t Produce Better Designs
Beware of vendor hype, industry dogma, and the aura of the price tag. Judge tools on their merits.

Start When You’re Ready
You’ve been building experience all your life. Don’t ignore niggling doubts.

Don’t Be a Slave to Formal Methods
Don’t blindly adopt any technique without putting it into the context of your development practices and capabilities.

It’s Both What You Say and the Way You Say It
There’s no point in having great ideas if you don’t communicate them effectively.

You Can’t Write Perfect Software
Software can’t be perfect. Protect your code and users from the inevitable errors.

Build Documentation In, Don’t Bolt It On
Documentation created separately from code is less likely to be correct and up to date.

Put Abstractions in Code, Details in Metadata
Program for the general case, and put the specifics outside the compiled code base.

Work with a User to Think Like a User
It’s the best way to gain insight into how the system will really be used.

Program Close to the Problem Domain
Design and code in your user’s language.

Use a Project Glossary
Create and maintain a single source of all the specific terms and vocabulary for a project.

Be a Catalyst for Change
You can’t force change on people. Instead, show them how the future might be and help them participate in creating it.

DRY – Don’t Repeat Yourself
Every piece of knowledge must have a single, unambiguous, authoritative representation within a system.

Eliminate Effects Between Unrelated Things
Design components that are self-contained, independent, and have a single, well-defined purpose.

Iterate the Schedule with the Code
Use experience you gain as you implement to refine the project time scales.

Use the Power of Command Shells
Use the shell when graphical user interfaces don’t cut it.

Don’t Panic When Debugging
Take a deep breath and THINK! about what could be causing the bug.

Don’t Assume It – Prove It
Prove your assumptions in the actual environment—with real data and boundary conditions.

Write Code That Writes Code
Code generators increase your productivity and help avoid duplication.

Test Your Software, or Your Users Will
Test ruthlessly. Don’t make your users find bugs for you.

Don’t Gather Requirements—Dig for Them
Requirements rarely lie on the surface. They’re buried deep beneath layers of assumptions, misconceptions, and politics.

Abstractions Live Longer than Details
Invest in the abstraction, not the implementation. Abstractions can survive the barrage of changes from different implementations and new technologies.

Don’t Think Outside the Box—Find the Box
When faced with an impossible problem, identify the real constraints. Ask yourself: “Does it have to be done this way? Does it have to be done at all?”;

Some Things Are Better Done than Described
Don’t fall into the specification spiral—at some point you need to start coding.

Don’t Use Manual Procedures
A shell script or batch file will execute the same instructions, in the same order, time after time.

Test State Coverage, Not Code Coverage
Identify and test significant program states. Just testing lines of code isn’t enough.

Gently Exceed Your Users’ Expectations
Come to understand your users’ expectations, then deliver just that little bit more.

Don’t Live with Broken Windows
Fix bad designs, wrong decisions, and poor code when you see them.

Remember the Big Picture
Don’t get so engrossed in the details that you forget to check what’s happening around you.

Make It Easy to Reuse
If it’s easy to reuse, people will. Create an environment that supports reuse.

There Are No Final Decisions
No decision is cast in stone. Instead, consider each as being written in the sand at the beach, and plan for change.

Estimate to Avoid Surprises
Estimate before you start. You’ll spot potential problems up front.

Use a Single Editor Well
The editor should be an extension of your hand; make sure your editor is configurable, extensible, and programmable.

Fix the Problem, Not the Blame
It doesn’t really matter whether the bug is your fault or someone else’s—it is still your problem, and it still needs to be fixed.

“select” Isn’t Broken
It is rare to find a bug in the OS or the compiler, or even a third-party product or library. The bug is most likely in the application.

Learn a Text Manipulation Language
You spend a large part of each day working with text. Why not have the computer do some of it for you?

Use Exceptions for Exceptional Problems
Exceptions can suffer from all the readability and maintainability problems of classic spaghetti code. Reserve exceptions for exceptional things.

Minimize Coupling Between Modules
Avoid coupling by writing “shy” code and applying the Law of Demeter.

Design Using Services
Design in terms of services: independent, concurrent objects behind well-defined, consistent interfaces.

Don’t Program by Coincidence
Rely only on reliable things. Beware of accidental complexity, and don’t confuse a happy coincidence with a purposeful plan.

Organize Teams Around Functionality
Don’t separate designers from coders, testers from data modelers. Build teams the way you build code.

Test Early. Test Often. Test Automatically.
Tests that run with every build are much more effective than test plans that sit on a shelf.

Find Bugs Once
Once a human tester finds a bug, it should be the last time a human tester finds that bug. Automatic tests should check for it from then on.

Sign Your Work
Craftsmen of an earlier age were proud to sign their work. You should be, too.

I suggest keeping these tips, or a subset of them, as well as some of your own, somewhere visible; even if some appear rather obvious, as it will serve as a good general reminder of the things you should always keep in mind.

Just recently while going through some old files I rediscovered a quote I found a long time ago that is rather inspiring.

The quote is an extract from the book “The Mythical Man-Month”, and while the book was originally published in 1974 before being republished in 1995, I feel it will always remain relevant:

Why is programming fun? What delights may its practitioner expect as his reward?

First is the sheer joy of making things. As the child delights in his mud pie, so the adult enjoys building things, especially things of his own design. I think this delight must be an image of God’s delight in making things, a delight shown in the distinctness and newness of each leaf and each snowflake.

Second is the pleasure of making things that are useful to other people. Deep within, we want others to use our work and to find it helpful. In this respect the programming system is not essentially different from the child’s first clay pencil holder “for Daddy’s office.”

Third is the fascination of fashioning complex puzzle-like objects of interlocking moving parts and watching them work in subtle cycles, playing out the consequences of principles built in from the beginning. The programmed computer has all the fascination of the pinball machine or the jukebox mechanism, carried to the ultimate.

Fourth is the joy of always learning, which springs from the non-repeating nature of the task. In one way or another the problem is ever new, and its solver learns something: sometimes practical, sometimes theoretical, and sometimes both.

Finally, there is the delight of working in such a tractable medium. The programmer, like the poet, works only slightly removed from pure thought-stuff. He builds his castles in the air, from air, creating by exertion of the imagination. Few media of creation are so flexible, so easy to polish and rework, so readily capable of realizing grand conceptual structures.

Yet the program construct, unlike the poet’s words, is real in the sense that it moves and works, producing visible outputs separately from the construct itself. It prints results, draws pictures, produces sounds, moves arms. The magic of myth and legend has come true in our time. One types the correct incantation on a keyboard, and a display screen comes to life, showing things that never were nor could be.

Programming then is fun because it gratifies creative longings built deep within us and delights sensibilities we have in common with all men.

This quote really hits home with me, so I shared it with my team and felt I should also share it with the community, as I imagine it will also inspire all of you as well.