Kotlin Code Smell 2 - Functions Are Too Long
Humans get bored beyond line 10...
I've started to work as a software engineer at 2014, however, I started to write code at high-school.
My first language was Assembly, but still, I fall in love with the possibilities to make the computer to do as you wish, shortly after that I started to write in C.
Later on I studied a practical engineering in electricity, and during this time discovered that I preferred much more writing code than design electrical components.
As a result of this understanding I decided to switch and study bachelor degree in computer science in Reichman university, where the focus was of the Java language.
Today I'm working at SumUp using Kotlin, SpringBoot & Micronaut, Cassandra and Kafka
TL;DR: Refactor and extract functions longer than 5-10 lines of code.
Problems
Low cohesion
High coupling
Difficult to read
Low reuse
Solutions
Create small objects to handle specific tasks and unit test them.
Compose methods.
Examples
- Libraries
Sample Code
Wrong
class ChessBoard() {
init {
placeOnBoard(whiteTower)
placeOnBoard(whiteKnight)
// All other white pieces
// Empty space to pause definition
placeOnBoard(blackTower)
placeOnBoard(blackKnight)
// All other black pieces
}
fun placeOnBoard(piece: Piece) = TODO()
}
Right
class ChessBoard() {
init {
placeWhitePieces()
placeBlackPieces()
}
private fun placeWhitePieces() = TODO()
private fun placeBlackPieces() = TODO()
}
Conclusion
Extract long methods into smaller pieces. Break down complex algorithms into parts. This approach allows for easier unit testing and improves readability while ensuring the correct level of abstraction in your method.
