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When to rewrite code?
There are a few times when a rewrite might be necessary. The golden opportunity to rewrite less-than-stellar code is when the business wants to re-think how the product works. If the business is unhappy with the product and the developers are unhappy with the code, this may be the perfect opportunity to rewrite.
How do you read an existing code written by someone else?
The best way I’ve ever discovered to read and understand someone else’s code is to:
- Find one thing you know the code does, and trace those actions backward, starting at the end. Say, for example, you know that the code you’re viewing ultimately creates a file with a list of movie titles.
- Rinse and repeat.
What are the unwritten rules of rewriting the code?
The “correct” answer completely depends on your team, your product, your organization, your personality, your process, the scope of the original code, the scope of the changes, and so on and so forth. This is, IMO, an issue that you absolutely need to take up with your team, not on an online Q&A site. Why are you editing the code?
What should I write on my team’s unwritten rules?
Combating them is crucial to helping everyone on your team feel secure and supported, especially in the current climate. In our book No Hard Feelings, one of our most popular suggestions is to write an “It’s okay to…” list.
When do you need to run a complete rewrite?
Complete rewriting of any shared code should be run by your team, for the following reasons: It takes a significant amount of time. If someone else is working on a related change, you don’t want to waste their time. Other people have a different perspective.
What are the unwritten rules of the workplace?
During stressful times, it can be helpful to… Every workplace has unwritten rules. If you’re on a video call with 20 of your colleagues, is it okay to turn your camera off? When you email your boss, do you include a bunch of emojis?