Kotlin Code Smell 3 - String Abusers
Cut the Strings: Embrace Objects for Simpler, Readable, and Maintainable Code
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: Use actual objects and abstractions instead of random string manipulation.
Problems
Complexity
Readability
Maintainability
Lack of Abstractions
Solutions
Utilize objects instead of strings.
Replace strings with data structures that handle object relations.
Identify bijection problems between real objects and strings.
Examples
Serializers
Parsers
Sample Code
Wrong
val schoolDescription = "College of Springfield"
// location = "Springfield"
val location = """[^ ]*\$""".toRegex()
.find(schoolDescription)?.value
// school = "College"
val school = """^[\w]+""".toRegex()
.find(schoolDescription)?.value
Right
class School(
private val name: String,
private val location: Location
) {
fun description() = "$name of ${location.name}"
}
class Location(
val name: String
)
Conclusion
Avoid excessive reliance on strings. Prioritize actual objects. Establish clear protocols to differentiate them from strings.
