Refactoring

When I first read Martin Fowlers Refactoring, a light came on in my head. While I had been refactoring my code for years, my understanding of it had always been at an intuitive level.

I knew that what I was doing was right, but hadn’t worked out how to sell the idea to those I worked with. Some of my co-developers looked at my practices, agreed with them and started working in similar ways - but they too lacked a compelling story to use to convince others.

If you haven’t read the book, go and buy your own copy now - it is one of the few books that should be on the reference shelf (next to the computer) of every professional developer. Don’t be put off the fact that all the examples are written in Java - the idea of refactoring is generic to any language, and the collection in the book gives you a vocabulary to use when talking with your colleagues.

If you have read the book, check out the Continuous Design article on www.martinfowler.com. Also, the upcoming book Refactoring to Patterns looks like it might be worth a read as well.