It's okay if your first draft is messy, Just do...
Functions should be small. They should do one thing. They should operate at one level of abstraction. We've discussed these rules, but to be honest, nobody writes clean code on the first try. Writing code is like writing an essay. We get our thoughts down first, messy and disorganized. Nested loops, names that mean nothing, long argument lists, and duplicated code everywhere. And that's completely fine. As long as we have tests covering all of it, we can refactor with confidence. We split functions, find better names, eliminate duplication. Iteration by iteration, the code starts following every rule. So clean code isn't written. It's rewritten. Follow for more clean code principles coming next.
Summary
The video emphasizes that clean code is not written perfectly on the first try. It encourages messy initial drafts, which can be improved through testing and refactoring.
Key Points
- Functions should be small and focused on one task.
- Initial drafts of code are often messy and disorganized.
- Use tests to cover messy code before refactoring.
- Refactoring involves splitting functions and improving names.
- Clean code is achieved through multiple iterations.
Tags
Repurpose Ideas
- LinkedIn post: 5 tips for effective code refactoring
- Tweet: Why messy code is a part of the process
- Checklist: Steps to refactor your code confidently
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