Tidy First?

Messy code is a plague. To make the code more readable, it is necessary to break it down into manageable sections. In this practical guide, author Kent Beck, creator of Extreme Programming and pioneer of software patterns, suggests when and where you can apply cleanup to improve your code while keeping an eye on the overall structure of the system. Instead of trying to master cleanup all at once, this book allows you to experiment with examples that make sense for your problem. If you have a large function that contains many lines of code, you will learn how to logically break it down into smaller sections. Along the way, you will discover the theory behind software design: coupling, cohesion, discounted cash flows, and optionality. This book helps you understand the fundamental theory of software design and the forces at play, explore the difference between changes in a system's behavior and changes in its structure, enhance your programming experience by learning to clean up sometimes first and sometimes later, and view software design as an exercise in interpersonal relationships.