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Code refactoring on bad system design

Asked 2010-09-01T13:11:46.393
24

I am a junior software engineer who've been given a task to take over a old system. This system has several problems, based on my preliminary assessment.

  1. spaghetti code
  2. repetitive code
  3. classes with 10k lines and above
  4. misuse and over-logging using log4j
  5. bad database table design
  6. Missing source control -> I have setup Subversion for this
  7. Missing documents -> I have no idea of the business rule, except to read the codes

How should I go about it to enhance the quality of the system and resolve such issues? I can think of using static code analysis software to resolve any bad coding practice.

However, it can't detect any bad design issues or problems. How should I go about resolving these issues step by step?

java refactoring legacy-code
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14

First, don't fix what isn't broken. As long as the system you are to take over works, leave functionality alone.

The system is obviuosly broken when it comes to maintainability, however, so that is what you tackle. As mentioned above, write some tests first, get the source backed up in a cvs, and THEN start by cleaning up small pieces first, then the larger ones and so on. Do NOT attack the bigger architectural issues until you have gained a good understanding of how the system works. Tools won't help you as long as you don't dive into the code yourself, but when you do, they do help a lot.

Remember, nothing is "perfect". Don't over-engineer. Obey the KISS and YAGNI principles.

EDIT: Added direct link to YAGNI article

answered 2010-09-01T13:26:19.963

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