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/ Refactoring / Techniques / Simplifying Method Calls

Rename Method

Problem

The name of a method doesn’t explain what the method does.

Solution

Rename the method.

Before
Rename Method - Before
After
Rename Method - After

Why Refactor

Perhaps a method was poorly named from the very beginning—for example, someone created the method in a rush and didn’t give proper care to naming it well.

Or perhaps the method was well named at first but as its functionality grew, the method name stopped being a good descriptor.

Benefits

  • Code readability. Try to give the new method a name that reflects what it does. Something like createOrder(), renderCustomerInfo(), etc.

How to Refactor

  1. See whether the method is defined in a superclass or subclass. If so, you must repeat all steps in these classes too.

  2. The next method is important for maintaining the functionality of the program during the refactoring process. Create a new method with a new name. Copy the code of the old method to it. Delete all the code in the old method and, instead of it, insert a call for the new method.

  3. Find all references to the old method and replace them with references to the new one.

  4. Delete the old method. If the old method is part of a public interface, don’t perform this step. Instead, mark the old method as deprecated.