F04 CPSC 501 - Advanced programming techniques - Mini Assignment #1

The purpose of this mini-assignment is to make you familiar with refactoring and the textbook for the course. The basic flow of this assignment is:

• In groups of 2, find the worst (or next to worst) piece of code you have ever written
• Using the refactoring text as a guide, indicate why it is poor code
• Apply refactorings to improve the code.
• Document the whole process on a web page and email the URL of the page to the instructor (The instructor will compile a list of links so that students can view other students results)
• Present your results to the class (in 2 minutes or less) on either September 21 or September 23.

Explanation

Refactoring is a very concrete way of improving the design of existing code. The textbook, however, isn't something that you just sit down and read and understand. In order to become proficient with refactoring, you have to be exposed to a lot of examples and you have to actually apply the refactorings to real code. Unfortunately, each refactoring in the textbook is only given one example and some of those examples are somewhat contrived.

This mini-assignment is an attempt to utilize the collective brainpower of the students enrolled in the course in order to expose you to several examples. Similarly, it provides you with the opportunity to use the textbook and to apply the techniques described in the textbook to code that you understand and that is relevant to you.

You will post your results on a web page. Your web page must contain the following information:

• The original code and a description as to why it is poor
• A list of the refactorings you've applied against the code and why
• The resulting code. Insert appropriate documention to help other students to understand how the refactoring was applied.
• A brief description as to why the resulting code is better than the original code.

You will be given 2 minutes to present your results to the class. Two minutes is a very short period of time, so you'll have be careful about which information you choose to present. Please be aware that your web-page can contain information that you do not have the time to present.

Evaluation Criteria

This mini-assignment is worth 2.5% of your final mark. Both members of the group will be assigned a grade of A, C or F. Your evaluation will be based solely on your presentation to the class.

Students who do not present or fail to show any understanding of refactoring will be given a mark of F

Students who show that they have a superficial understanding of refactoring will receive a C

Students who demonstrate an understanding of refactoring that goes beyond simply saying what refactoring they applied will receive a mark of an A. The following are some hints to help you on your quest:

• Bad code rarely requires a single refactoring. You should look at applying multiple refactorings to your code.
• Bad code typically indicates a deficiency in design; what is that deficiency?
• In order to show me that you truly understand what you are talking about, your presentation should contain some kind of discussion about why the initial code is poor and the refactored code is better. Go beyond what the textbook says.
• Use the terminology defined in the textbook.