Method build_association
has 36 lines of code (exceeds 25 allowed). Consider refactoring. Open
def build_association(as_class, options) # rubocop:todo Metrics/MethodLength
# First we build the association into the current ActiveRecord::Base class
as_name = as_class.name.demodulize.underscore
association_name = "#{as_name}_metadata".underscore.to_sym
class_name = "#{name}::Metadata"
Metadata#include_tag refers to 'options' more than self (maybe move it to another class?) Open
tags << AccessionedTag.new(tag, options[:as], options[:services], options[:downcase])
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Feature Envy occurs when a code fragment references another object more often than it references itself, or when several clients do the same series of manipulations on a particular type of object.
Feature Envy reduces the code's ability to communicate intent: code that "belongs" on one class but which is located in another can be hard to find, and may upset the "System of Names" in the host class.
Feature Envy also affects the design's flexibility: A code fragment that is in the wrong class creates couplings that may not be natural within the application's domain, and creates a loss of cohesion in the unwilling host class.
Feature Envy often arises because it must manipulate other objects (usually its arguments) to get them into a useful form, and one force preventing them (the arguments) doing this themselves is that the common knowledge lives outside the arguments, or the arguments are of too basic a type to justify extending that type. Therefore there must be something which 'knows' about the contents or purposes of the arguments. That thing would have to be more than just a basic type, because the basic types are either containers which don't know about their contents, or they are single objects which can't capture their relationship with their fellows of the same type. So, this thing with the extra knowledge should be reified into a class, and the utility method will most likely belong there.
Example
Running Reek on:
class Warehouse
def sale_price(item)
(item.price - item.rebate) * @vat
end
end
would report:
Warehouse#total_price refers to item more than self (FeatureEnvy)
since this:
(item.price - item.rebate)
belongs to the Item class, not the Warehouse.
Metadata::AccessionedTag#initialize is controlled by argument 'as' Open
@name = as || tag
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Control Parameter
is a special case of Control Couple
Example
A simple example would be the "quoted" parameter in the following method:
def write(quoted)
if quoted
write_quoted @value
else
write_unquoted @value
end
end
Fixing those problems is out of the scope of this document but an easy solution could be to remove the "write" method alltogether and to move the calls to "writequoted" / "writeunquoted" in the initial caller of "write".
Metadata::AccessionedTag#initialize has boolean parameter 'downcase' Open
def initialize(tag, as = nil, services = [], downcase = false)
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Boolean Parameter
is a special case of Control Couple
, where a method parameter is defaulted to true or false. A Boolean Parameter effectively permits a method's caller to decide which execution path to take. This is a case of bad cohesion. You're creating a dependency between methods that is not really necessary, thus increasing coupling.
Example
Given
class Dummy
def hit_the_switch(switch = true)
if switch
puts 'Hitting the switch'
# do other things...
else
puts 'Not hitting the switch'
# do other things...
end
end
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 3 warnings:
[1]:Dummy#hit_the_switch has boolean parameter 'switch' (BooleanParameter)
[2]:Dummy#hit_the_switch is controlled by argument switch (ControlParameter)
Note that both smells are reported, Boolean Parameter
and Control Parameter
.
Getting rid of the smell
This is highly dependent on your exact architecture, but looking at the example above what you could do is:
- Move everything in the
if
branch into a separate method - Move everything in the
else
branch into a separate method - Get rid of the
hit_the_switch
method alltogether - Make the decision what method to call in the initial caller of
hit_the_switch
Metadata#construct_metadata_class has approx 8 statements Open
def construct_metadata_class(table_name, as_class, &block)
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A method with Too Many Statements
is any method that has a large number of lines.
Too Many Statements
warns about any method that has more than 5 statements. Reek's smell detector for Too Many Statements
counts +1 for every simple statement in a method and +1 for every statement within a control structure (if
, else
, case
, when
, for
, while
, until
, begin
, rescue
) but it doesn't count the control structure itself.
So the following method would score +6 in Reek's statement-counting algorithm:
def parse(arg, argv, &error)
if !(val = arg) and (argv.empty? or /\A-/ =~ (val = argv[0]))
return nil, block, nil # +1
end
opt = (val = parse_arg(val, &error))[1] # +2
val = conv_arg(*val) # +3
if opt and !arg
argv.shift # +4
else
val[0] = nil # +5
end
val # +6
end
(You might argue that the two assigments within the first @if@ should count as statements, and that perhaps the nested assignment should count as +2.)
Metadata#build_association has approx 10 statements Open
def build_association(as_class, options) # rubocop:todo Metrics/MethodLength
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A method with Too Many Statements
is any method that has a large number of lines.
Too Many Statements
warns about any method that has more than 5 statements. Reek's smell detector for Too Many Statements
counts +1 for every simple statement in a method and +1 for every statement within a control structure (if
, else
, case
, when
, for
, while
, until
, begin
, rescue
) but it doesn't count the control structure itself.
So the following method would score +6 in Reek's statement-counting algorithm:
def parse(arg, argv, &error)
if !(val = arg) and (argv.empty? or /\A-/ =~ (val = argv[0]))
return nil, block, nil # +1
end
opt = (val = parse_arg(val, &error))[1] # +2
val = conv_arg(*val) # +3
if opt and !arg
argv.shift # +4
else
val[0] = nil # +5
end
val # +6
end
(You might argue that the two assigments within the first @if@ should count as statements, and that perhaps the nested assignment should count as +2.)
Complex method Metadata#build_association (24.1) Open
def build_association(as_class, options) # rubocop:todo Metrics/MethodLength
# First we build the association into the current ActiveRecord::Base class
as_name = as_class.name.demodulize.underscore
association_name = "#{as_name}_metadata".underscore.to_sym
class_name = "#{name}::Metadata"
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Flog calculates the ABC score for methods. The ABC score is based on assignments, branches (method calls), and conditions.
You can read more about ABC metrics or the flog tool
Metadata#build_association manually dispatches method call Open
unless respond_to?(:"include_#{association_name}")
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Reek reports a Manual Dispatch smell if it finds source code that manually checks whether an object responds to a method before that method is called. Manual dispatch is a type of Simulated Polymorphism which leads to code that is harder to reason about, debug, and refactor.
Example
class MyManualDispatcher
attr_reader :foo
def initialize(foo)
@foo = foo
end
def call
foo.bar if foo.respond_to?(:bar)
end
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 1 warning:
[9]: MyManualDispatcher manually dispatches method call (ManualDispatch)
Metadata has no descriptive comment Open
module Metadata
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Classes and modules are the units of reuse and release. It is therefore considered good practice to annotate every class and module with a brief comment outlining its responsibilities.
Example
Given
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 1 warning:
[1]:Dummy has no descriptive comment (IrresponsibleModule)
Fixing this is simple - just an explaining comment:
# The Dummy class is responsible for ...
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Metadata::AccessionedTag has no descriptive comment Open
class AccessionedTag
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Classes and modules are the units of reuse and release. It is therefore considered good practice to annotate every class and module with a brief comment outlining its responsibilities.
Example
Given
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 1 warning:
[1]:Dummy has no descriptive comment (IrresponsibleModule)
Fixing this is simple - just an explaining comment:
# The Dummy class is responsible for ...
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Metadata::Base has no descriptive comment Open
class Base < ApplicationRecord
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Classes and modules are the units of reuse and release. It is therefore considered good practice to annotate every class and module with a brief comment outlining its responsibilities.
Example
Given
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 1 warning:
[1]:Dummy has no descriptive comment (IrresponsibleModule)
Fixing this is simple - just an explaining comment:
# The Dummy class is responsible for ...
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Metadata::Section has no descriptive comment Open
Section = Struct.new(*SECTION_FIELDS, :label_options)
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Classes and modules are the units of reuse and release. It is therefore considered good practice to annotate every class and module with a brief comment outlining its responsibilities.
Example
Given
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 1 warning:
[1]:Dummy has no descriptive comment (IrresponsibleModule)
Fixing this is simple - just an explaining comment:
# The Dummy class is responsible for ...
class Dummy
# Do things...
end
Metadata::Base#merge_instance_defaults performs a nil-check Open
next unless send(attribute).nil?
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A NilCheck
is a type check. Failures of NilCheck
violate the "tell, don't ask" principle.
Additionally, type checks often mask bigger problems in your source code like not using OOP and / or polymorphism when you should.
Example
Given
class Klass
def nil_checker(argument)
if argument.nil?
puts "argument isn't nil!"
end
end
end
Reek would emit the following warning:
test.rb -- 1 warning:
[3]:Klass#nil_checker performs a nil-check. (NilCheck)
Metadata::Base#localised_sections_store has the variable name 'h' Open
@loc_sec ||= Hash.new { |h, field| h[field] = localised_sections_generator(field) }
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An Uncommunicative Variable Name
is a variable name that doesn't communicate its intent well enough.
Poor names make it hard for the reader to build a mental picture of what's going on in the code. They can also be mis-interpreted; and they hurt the flow of reading, because the reader must slow down to interpret the names.
Metadata::Base#metadata_attribute_path_store has the variable name 'h' Open
@md_a_p ||= Hash.new { |h, field| h[field] = metadata_attribute_path_generator(field) }
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An Uncommunicative Variable Name
is a variable name that doesn't communicate its intent well enough.
Poor names make it hard for the reader to build a mental picture of what's going on in the code. They can also be mis-interpreted; and they hurt the flow of reading, because the reader must slow down to interpret the names.