Welcome back! Last time, we talked about five common anti-patterns that can wreak havoc on your codebase. We discussed the perils of God Objects, Spaghetti Code, Magic Numbers, Copy and Paste Programming, and Dead Code. But wait, sadly there’s more to look out for!
Today, we’re diving into five additional anti-patterns that you’ll want to shun. So, buckle up, grab your favourite beverage, and let’s explore these patterns that can lead to hair-pulling frustration and hours of debugging. Get ready to become an anti-pattern expert and save your future self from a world of headaches.
The Offenders (cont.)
6. Primitive Obsession: When Simplicity Goes Too Far
Primitive obsession is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. It’s when we overuse simple types like integers, strings, or booleans, instead of creating custom objects to encapsulate related data or behaviours. This lazy approach can lead to bloated, unreadable code, and a higher chance of bugs than a picnic in the woods.
For example, imagine trying to modify code that always uses integers to represent dates, it can become a nightmare when calculating logic. Remember, using primitives for everything may seem like the easy way out, but by taking the time to create custom objects, we can make our code more efficient, readable, and easier to maintain.
7. Shotgun Surgery: From Precision to Chaos
When multiple small changes are made across different files or modules to fix a problem instead of addressing the root cause, its likely you are operating a Shotgun surgery Anti-Pattern. The analogy of a shotgun is used because, like a shotgun’s blast, the changes are scattered across the codebase without a clear aim or plan. This approach can result in a twisted mess of code that is difficult to maintain and can cause unexpected issues in other parts of the system. Just as shotgun surgery can be a messy and imprecise medical procedure, the anti-pattern of the same name can lead to a messy and imprecise codebase.
For example, a simple change in the database schema could result in requiring multiple areas of the application needing to be modified. If the codebase has a lot of dependencies, the modifications required can be extensive, increasing the likelihood of bugs and other unintended behaviours elsewhere. To avoid this digital procedure, reduce dependencies between codebase components through refactoring, making it more modular and less tightly coupled. This will make future modifications more efficient and manageable, allowing developers to make changes without worrying about unexpected consequences or behaviours elsewhere.
8. Lava Flow: The Dormant Code That Will One Day Erupt
Another red-hot flag of a coding anti-pattern that you definitely want to steer clear of is the Lava Flow. This happens when unused code lingers in your system like solidified molten rock, taking up space and slowing things down. Often, it’s the result of abandoned features or failed experiments that were never properly removed.
Leaving this dormant code in your system accumulates into a burden and can lead to increased complexity, slower application performance, and difficulty in identifying which parts of the codebase are still in active use. Fortunately, you can avoid these Lava Flows by keeping a clean and well-organised codebase. Make sure to regularly remove code that is no longer needed, and document new code to make it easier for future developers to understand. Trust us, it may seem a chore but it’ll make your life a lot easier in the long run!
9. Big Ball of Mud: The Chaos of No Organization
A Big Ball of Mud is the programming equivalent of a messy room that’s been accumulating clutter for years without any real organization, and as an expert programmer, you want to avoid it like the plague. This anti-pattern occurs when the code lacks structure, and the architecture is not well defined, leading to a codebase that has no clear separations and is difficult to understand, modify or extend. It’s a recipe for duplicated code, increased maintenance costs, and decreased productivity.
To keep your codebase clean, it’s important to use architectural design patterns that enforce modularity and scalability. Regularly reviewing the code to remove duplication, improve readability, and reduce dependencies is also essential. Think of it like tidying up your room regularly to prevent clutter from accumulating over time. With a well-organized codebase, you can easily manage your application and make modifications with ease, saving you time and effort in the long run.
10. Golden Hammer: When Your Tool of Choice Becomes a Trap
The Golden Hammer anti-pattern (also known as “If the only tool you have is a hammer, it is tempting to treat everything as if it were a nail.”) is a trap that programmers can easily fall into. It’s when they use a familiar tool, framework, or technology for every problem, even if it’s not the best solution. Just because you can use a Swiss Army Knife to carve the Christmas turkey doesn’t mean you should, there may be better tools out there.
Using the same tool for everything leads to limited thinking and can hinder innovation. It’s important for programmers to stay curious and explore new technologies and trends in their field, enabling them to choose the right tool for the job and use it appropriately. Don’t let the familiarity of a tool or technology cloud your judgment. Instead, seek out effective solutions and be open to trying out new tools when necessary. Remember, just because you’ve used a tool before, it doesn’t always mean it’s the best one for the job.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you’ve made it to the end of this post! We hope that you’ve found the description of these further 5 anti-patterns helpful in identifying and avoiding them in your code. In our next post, we’re going to dive deeper into some of the tools and techniques to break free of the patterns that we’ve only briefly touched on here. We’ll explore code reviews, automated testing, refactoring, and design patterns in more detail and provide real-world examples of how they can help you write cleaner, more maintainable code. So stay tuned!
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