Code Smell 36 - Switch/case/elseif/else/if statements
First programming lesson: Control structures. Senior developer lesson: avoid them.
18 December, 2022
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First programming lesson: Control structures. Senior developer lesson: avoid them.
Problems
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Too many decisions together
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Coupling
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Duplicated code
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Violation of Open/Closed Principle.
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A new condition should not change the main algorithm.
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Nulls
Solutions
1.
Polymorphism
2.
Create hierarchies/compose objects following Open closed principle.
3.
Use State pattern to model transitions.
4.
Use Strategy Pattern/Method Object to choose for branches.
Examples
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Discrete Values
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State transition
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Algorithm choice.
Sample Code
Wrong
Right
Detection
Since there are valid cases for If/else usages, we should not pull the plug and forbid these instructions. We can put a ratio of if statements/other statements as a warning instead.
Relations
More Info
Credits
Photo by Adarsh Kummur on Unsplash
If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in.
Edsger Dijkstra
This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.