Refactoring

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General considerations

To avoid problems with changes from the user it may make sense for each changed text to save/discard it before doing the refactoring. After this the code should be checked and only if it is valid continued. After the refactoring, the code could be checked again and all views where something has changed should be updated to show the changes. This could be implemented, by compiling before doing the refactoring and compiling after the refactoring.

It could be a good idea to work "atomic" on a class/file basis, that means only if everything went ok, the changes will be written to the file. It would also be useful if all the changes to the different files were logged in an undo log, so that they could be rolled back (either if something bad happens or if the user wants to undo the refactoring).

At the moment there are already some tools for refactoring or things that have a lot in common with refactoring.

tools under Edit, Advanced
various things in the diagram view
some of the auto insertions
search and replace

Maybe the difference between things like under Edit, Advanced and "normal" refactoring is, that refactoring can affect the whole universe. But both things could still share a lot of common functionality.

Another thing that could be very helpful is the possibility to optionally show each change to the user and let him decide if this realy should be done (preview).

Possible design

Low level text editing

For refactoring it is useful to have some text editing functionality. A preview functionality could alse be implemented on this level. This could also log every change and make the undo log. At the moment, the class CLASS_TEXT_MODIFIER has most of this things already implemented.

insert_code
remove_code
replace_code
get_code
index_of
some kind of undo log, where a whole bunch of changes can be put together in "transactions"

Syntactic editing

On a higher level, there should be tools that allow to make more complex things. At the moment, some of this things are implemented in CLASS_TEXT_MODIFIER and EB_FEATURE_EDITOR.

common

create/change/remove comment

cluster

create cluster
change cluster
remove cluster

class

create class
change class
- rename
- add/remove inheritance
remove class

feature

create feature
change feature
remove feature

Refactoring

Preferences

global settings
refactoring specific settings
- normal preferences
- set before run (but also implemented as normal preferences but hidden)

Run

settings
1. Ask the user some settings for this run and store them as normal preferences
checks if refactoring is possible
which classes are affected
refactoring
1. get content
2. make refactoring using Syntactic editing

deferred class
    ERF_REFACTORING
 
feature
    name: STRING
            -- Name of the refactoring.
 
    description: STRING
            -- A description for this refactoring.
 
 
    preferences: EB_PREFERENCES
            -- The preferences for this refactoring.
 
 
    ask_run_settings is
            -- Ask for the settings, that are run specific (optional).
        do
        end
 
 
    checks: LIST [ERF_CHECK] is
            -- The checks that need to be run before this refactoring can be run.
        do
            create list.make
        end
 
 
    affected_classes: LIST [CLASS_I] is
            -- Get the affected classes.
        do
            create liste.make
        end
 
 
    apply_to_project is
            -- Make project global changes (eg. *.ace, create/remove/rename cluster, ...) (optional).
        do
        end
 
 
    apply_to_class (a_class: CLASS_I) is
            -- Make the changes in `a_class'. (optional? would allow to make "refactorings" that are only checks).
        do
        end

deferred class
    ERF_CHECK
 
feature
    do_check is
            -- Execute a check.
        deferred
        end
 
    success: BOOLEAN
            -- Did the check succeed?

class
    ERF_REFACTORING_MANAGER
 
feature
    register (a_refactoring: ERF_REFACTORING) is
            -- Register a new refactoring. Does everything that is needed (eg. add preferences, create menu item, ...)
    do
       -- ...
    end

Refactoring possibilities

A list of common known refactoring possibilities can be found here:

Rename class

Prerequisite

full code of a class (or filename)
possibility to change a filename (=> at least get filename)
list of all classes
list of all clients of a class
position where a certain class is defined/used
position of comments
position of strings
(root_class settings in ace file)
(other settings in project/ace file that specify a class)

Options

also rename file
update comments
update strings

Checks

does another class have the same name

Things to do

[rename file]
rename class itself
rename class usage
- var: CLASSNAME
- precursor
- agent
- inherit
- ...
update ace file
- because it is root class
- cecil
[update comments]
[update strings]

Rename feature

Prerequisite

full code of a class (or filename)
list of classes that inherit (directly or indirectly) from a certain class
list of classes that are parent (directly or indirectly) of a certain class
list of all features in one class
list of all assigners/callers of a feature
position of feature definition/usage
position of comments
position of strings
(access to root feature settings in ace file)

Options

update comments
update strings

Checks

does another feature in the class have the new name?
problems further down
- feature gets renamed to this name
- another feature gets renamed to this name
- merging of this feature
- ...

Things to do

rename feature
rename feature usage
- calls
- inheritance
  - merge
  - rename
  - ...
rename feature in project file if it is root feature
[update comments]
[update strings]

Move feature to parent

Prerequisite

full code of a class (or filename)
direct parents of a certain class
list of features of a class
position of a feature
position where a feature can be added to a class

Options

which parent? (only possible if at least one parent)

Checks

already feature with same name in parent
is feature inherited

Things to do

create feature in parent
remove feature in class

Add inheritance

Prerequisite

full code of a class (or filename)
list of classes that inherit (directly or indirectly) from a certain class
list of classes that are parent (directly or indirectly) of a certain class
position where an inherit clause can be added to a certain class

Options

handling of features defined in class and parent

Checks

no cyclic inheritance

Things to do

add inheritance clause
handle features defined in class and parent

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Category:

EiffelStudio

Refactoring

Contents

General considerations

Possible design

Low level text editing

Syntactic editing

common

cluster

class

feature

Refactoring

Preferences

Run

Refactoring possibilities

Rename class

Prerequisite

Options

Checks

Things to do

Rename feature

Prerequisite

Options

Checks

Things to do

Move feature to parent

Prerequisite

Options

Checks

Things to do

Add inheritance

Prerequisite

Options

Checks

Things to do

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