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Refactoring is usually motivated by noticing a code smell. [2] For example, the method at hand may be very long, or it may be a near duplicate of another nearby method. Once recognized, such problems can be addressed by refactoring the source code, or transforming it into a new form that behaves the same as before but that no longer "smells".
This beckons as another opportunity for refactoring to be used in order to improve the quality of the code. Refactoring to eliminate data clumps does not need to be done by hand. Many modern fully featured IDEs have functionality (often labeled as "Extract Class") that is capable of performing this refactoring automatically or nearly so.
Examples of refactoring: moving code to where it most logically belongs; removing duplicate code; making names self-documenting; splitting methods into smaller pieces; re-arranging inheritance hierarchies; Repeat Repeat the process, starting at step 2, with each test on the list until all tests are implemented and passing.
Rule of three ("Three strikes and you refactor") is a code refactoring rule of thumb to decide when similar pieces of code should be refactored to avoid duplication. It states that two instances of similar code do not require refactoring, but when similar code is used three times, it should be extracted into a new procedure.
For example, if we decide to write a test that requires us to add an if statement to our code, that test requires the “unconditional –> if” transformation. Knowing that, we can try to think of other tests that rely solely on transformations higher up the list.
Code cleanup can also refer to the removal of all computer programming from source code, or the act of removing temporary files after a program has finished executing.. For instance, in a web browser such as Chrome browser or Maxthon, code must be written in order to clean up files such as cookies and storage. [6]
An example of generalizing a type would be moving a method from a child to a parent class for common use by all the parent class' children, not just the original child. Another example, in the Java programming language , would be access to an object via an interface which isn't tied into a specific implementation of that interface.
Refactoring refers to a software maintenance activity where source code is modified to improve readability or improve its structure. Software is often refactored to bring it into conformance with a team's stated coding standards after its initial release. Any change that does not alter the behavior of the software can be considered refactoring.