Your code smells because there are likely many instances where it could be edited or improved. Most of these smells are just hints of something that might be wrong. Therefore, they are not required to be fixed per se… (You should look into it, though.) Previous Code Smells You can find all the previous code smells (Part I - XLIII) . here Let's continue... Code Smell 216 - Fat Interface You should not define too much behavior together TL;DR: Split your interfaces Problems Interface Segregation Principle Violation Coupling Solutions Split the interface Use composition instead of inheritance Context The term "Fat Interface" emphasizes that the interface is overloaded with methods, including those that may not be necessary or used by all clients. The interface violates the principle of segregating interfaces into smaller, more focused contracts. Sample Code Wrong interface Animal {
  void eat();
  void sleep();
  void makeSound();
  // This protocol should be common to all animals
}

class Dog implements Animal {
  public void eat() { }
  public void sleep() { }
  public void makeSound() { }
}

class Fish implements Animal
  public void eat() { }
  public void sleep() {
    throw new UnsupportedOperationException("I do not sleep");
  }
  public void makeSound() {
    throw new UnsupportedOperationException("I cannot make sounds");
  }
}

class Bullfrog implements Animal
  public void eat() { }
  public void sleep() { 
    throw new UnsupportedOperationException("I do not sleep");  
  }
  public void makeSound() { }
} Right interface Animal {
  void move();
  void reproduce();  
}
// You can even break these two responsibilities

class Dog implements Animal {
  public void move() { }
  public void reproduce() { } 
}

class Fish implements Animal {
  public void move() { }
  public void reproduce() { } 
}

class Bullfrog implements Animal {
  public void move() { }
  public void reproduce() { } 
} Detection Manual [x] We can check the size of the interface protocol Tags Cohesion Conclusion Favoring small, reusable code components promotes code and behavior reuse. Relations Code Smell 61 - Coupling to Classes Code Smell 135 - Interfaces With just One Realization Disclaimer Code Smells are my . opinion Credits Photo by on Towfiqu barbhuiya Unsplash The best smells are something that's easy to spot and most of time lead you to really interesting problems. Data classes (classes with all data and no behavior) are good examples of this. You look at them and ask yourself what behavior should be in this class. Martin Fowler Software Engineering Great Quotes Code Smell 217 - Empty Implementation You create empty methods instead of failing TL;DR: Don't fill in methods to comply Problems Fail Fast Principle Violation Solutions Throw an error indicating implementation is not complete Context Creating an empty implementation might seem fine to jump to more interesting problems. The code left won't fail fast so debugging it will be a bigger problem Sample Code Wrong class MerchantProcessor {
  processPayment(amount) {
    // no default implementation
  }
}

class MockMerchantProcessor extends MerchantProcessor {
  processPayment(amount) {
     // Empty implementation to comply with the compiler
     // Won't do anything
  }
} Right class MerchantProcessor {
  processPayment(amount) {
    throw new Error('Should be overridden');
  }
}

class MockMerchantProcessor extends MerchantProcessor {
  processPayment(amount) {
     throw new Error('Will be implemented when needed');
  }
}

// or better...

class MockMerchantProcessor extends MerchantProcessor {
  processPayment(amount) {
    console.log('Mock payment processed: $${amount}');
  }
} Detection Manual [x] Since empty code is valid sometimes only a good peer review will find these problems. Tags Hierarchies Conclusion Being lazy and deferring certain decisions is acceptable, but it's crucial to be explicit about it. Relations Code Smell 30 - Mocking Business Code Smell 114 - Empty Class More Info Fail Fast Credits Photo by on Joey Kyber Unsplash There is an art to knowing where things should be checked and making sure that the program fails fast if you make a mistake. That kind of choosing is part of the art of simplification. Ward Cunningham Code Smell 218 - Magic Concatenation If you miss a comma, you are concatenating TL;DR: Watch out for fancy language assumptions Problems Possible defects The violation least surprise principle Hidden Assumptions Solutions Be declarative Use good linters Prefer declarative languages Context Many programming languages favor laziness over readability and clean code. You should use them with caution and trust your tests. Sample Code Wrong tools = [
    "Amazon Codewhisperer",
    "Bard" # Notice the missing comma
    "ChatGPT",
    "Dalle-E" # Also here
    "Eliza"
    ]
    
print(len(tools))
# This will output 3 

print(tools)
# ['Amazon Codewhisperer', 'BardChatGPT', 'Dalle-EEliza']
# Missing Commas act as hidden string concatenators Right tools = [
    "Amazon Codewhisperer",
    "Bard",
    "ChatGPT",
    "Dalle-E",
    "Eliza"
]

# We added all the missing commas

print(len(tools))
# 5

print(tools)
# ['Amazon Codewhisperer', 'Bard', 'ChatGPT', 'Dalle-E', 'Eliza'] Detection Semi-Automatic [x] Many linters warn about this problem. Also, and can detect the problem. ChatGPT Bard Tags Readability Conclusion Many modern programming languages come with a significant amount of accidental complexity. They are often optimized for writing code quickly, even though they may be prone to defects. Unfortunately, when working with these languages, it is essential to exercise extreme caution. Relations Code Smell 84 - Max < Min (Javascript) Code Smell 69 - Big Bang (JavaScript Ridiculous Castings) Code Smell 06 - Too Clever Programmer Credits Photo by on Edge2Edge Media Unsplash A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant. Alan J. Perlis Code Smell 219 -Looping from index 0 Counting from zero seems natural. Doesn't it? TL;DR: Start counting from one instead of zero. Like humans do. Problems from real-world broken Bijection Cognitive load Overly implementation-oriented code Solutions Favor high-level declarative languages Context Low-level languages force you to think at a machine level. Hardware turning machines were designed to use binary gates and start indexing at 0. A few programming languages use one-based indexing, where indexing starts from 1. These languages are known for being higher level and more declarative: Basic / Visual Basic Pascal Smalltalk Fortran Lua MATLAB R Julia Sample Code Wrong package main

import "fmt"

func main() {    
    numbers := []int{10, 20, 30, 40, 50}
    
    for i := 0; i < len(numbers); i++ {
        // Iteration goes from zero to len-1
        fmt.Println(numbers[i])
    }
} Right numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50];

% Looping through the array using one-based indexing
% from 1 to length
for currentIndex = 1:length(numbers)
    disp(numbers(currentIndex));
end Detection Automatic [x] This is a language smell. Exceptions Low-level optimized code Tags Declarative Code Conclusion We need to think as humans when we code and not as machines. Humans count from one. was a brilliant discovery in math and science but it does not apply to everyday counting. Zero number Relations Code Smell 53 - Explicit Iteration Code Smell 123 - Mixed 'What' and 'How' More Info Wikipedia Dijkstra on Numbering Credits Photo by on Andy Kelly Unsplash Pay attention to zeros. If there is a zero, someone will divide by it. Cem Kaner Code Smell 220 - Return Tuple You need to return more than one object TL;DR: Don't return multiple values. Problems Coupling Missing Abstraction Readability Extensibility Solutions Create a return object grouping the tuple Reify it into an object with cohesion and behavior (neither a nor a ) DTO Dictionary Look for the object in the real world using the MAPPER Try to return void and delegate the solution to the modified object avoiding accidental mutations Context A function returning multiple values in languages that allow it is a problem. Developers can use this hack to avoid reifying concepts. Some languages are: C#, Javascript, Go, Lua, Matlab, PHP, Python, Rust, and Swift Sample Code Wrong func getNameAndAge() -> (String, Int) {
    let name = "John"
    let age = 30
    return (name, age)
} Right struct PeopleProfile {
    let name: String
    let age: Int
}

// You reify the PeopleProfile object
func getNameAndAge() -> PeopleProfile {
    let name = "John"
    let age = 30
    let profile = PeopleProfile(name: name, age: age)
    return profile
} Detection Automatic [x] This is a language smell. We can tell our linters to warn us. Tags Coupling Conclusion This is yet another language feature that hinders clean code and blinds us from seeing missing abstractions in the . Bijection Relations Code Smell 10 - Too Many Arguments Code Smell 122 - Primitive Obsession Code Smell 40 - DTOs Code Smell 27 - Associative Arrays More Info Value Tuples in C# Named Tuples in Python Multiple Return Values in Go Credits Photo by on Edgar Soto Unsplash By relieving the brain of all unnecessary work, a good notation sets it free to concentrate on more advanced problems, and in effect increases the mental power of the race. Before the introduction of the Arabic notation, multiplication was difficult, and division even of integers called into play the highest mathematical faculties. Our modern power of easy reckoning with decimal fractions is the almost miraculous result of the gradual discovery of a perfect notation. Alfred North Whitehead Next week, 5 more smells

The code in this story is for educational purposes. The readers are solely responsible for whatever they build with it.

Walkthroughs, tutorials, guides, and tips. This story will teach you how to do something new or how to do something better.

How to Find the Stinky Parts of Your Code [Part XLIV]

About Author

Comments

TOPICS

THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN

Related Stories

10 Predictions About the Future of Finance

106 Stories To Learn About Clean Code

100 Pieces of Programming Advice from the Book Clean Code by Robert Martin

110 Stories To Learn About Refactoring

3 Things Coding And Prose Writing Have In Common According To Cory House

4 Simple Habits For Engineering Teams To Beat Technical Debt

10 Predictions About the Future of Finance

106 Stories To Learn About Clean Code

100 Pieces of Programming Advice from the Book Clean Code by Robert Martin

110 Stories To Learn About Refactoring

3 Things Coding And Prose Writing Have In Common According To Cory House

4 Simple Habits For Engineering Teams To Beat Technical Debt

Light-Mode

Classic

Newspaper

Minty

Dark-Mode

Neon Noir

Minty

HN StartUps