Refactoring patterns

Refactoring Patterns Skill

Safe transformations — same behavior, better structure.

Golden Rule

Tests pass before AND after. Never refactor and add features in the same commit.

When to Refactor

Trigger	Action
Feature is hard to add	Refactor first, then add feature
Same bug twice	Refactor to prevent recurrence
"I don't understand"	Refactor for clarity
Duplicate code	Extract and reuse
Long function (>30 lines)	Extract logical units

When NOT to Refactor

• No tests + time pressure
• Code won't change again
• Right before release (deadline pressure)
• Should rewrite instead (>70% changes needed)
• Exploratory/prototype code

Core Refactoring Moves

Extract Function

When a block does one logical thing, give it a name.

// Before
function processOrder(order: Order) {
  // Validate order
  if (!order.items.length) throw new Error('Empty order');
  if (!order.customer) throw new Error('No customer');
  if (order.total < 0) throw new Error('Invalid total');
  
  // Calculate tax
  const taxRate = order.region === 'EU' ? 0.20 : 0.10;
  const tax = order.total * taxRate;
  
  // Apply discount
  const discount = order.customer.isPremium ? 0.15 : 0;
  const finalTotal = order.total + tax - (order.total * discount);
  
  return finalTotal;
}

// After
function processOrder(order: Order) {
  validateOrder(order);
  const tax = calculateTax(order);
  const discount = calculateDiscount(order);
  return order.total + tax - discount;
}

function validateOrder(order: Order): void {
  if (!order.items.length) throw new Error('Empty order');
  if (!order.customer) throw new Error('No customer');
  if (order.total < 0) throw new Error('Invalid total');
}

function calculateTax(order: Order): number {
  const taxRate = order.region === 'EU' ? 0.20 : 0.10;
  return order.total * taxRate;
}

function calculateDiscount(order: Order): number {
  return order.customer.isPremium ? order.total * 0.15 : 0;
}

Extract Variable

Name complex expressions to reveal intent.

// Before
if (user.age >= 18 && user.country === 'US' && !user.banned && user.emailVerified) {
  allowAccess();
}

// After
const isAdult = user.age >= 18;
const isUSResident = user.country === 'US';
const isInGoodStanding = !user.banned && user.emailVerified;
const canAccess = isAdult && isUSResident && isInGoodStanding;

if (canAccess) {
  allowAccess();
}

Rename for Intent

Names should reveal what, not how.

// Before
const d = new Date().getTime() - start;
const arr = users.filter(u => u.a);

// After
const elapsedMs = new Date().getTime() - startTime;
const activeUsers = users.filter(user => user.isActive);

Replace Conditional with Polymorphism

// Before
function calculatePay(employee: Employee): number {
  switch (employee.type) {
    case 'hourly':
      return employee.hours * employee.rate;
    case 'salaried':
      return employee.salary / 12;
    case 'commission':
      return employee.sales * employee.commissionRate + employee.basePay;
  }
}

// After
interface PayStrategy {
  calculate(employee: Employee): number;
}

class HourlyPay implements PayStrategy {
  calculate(emp: Employee): number {
    return emp.hours * emp.rate;
  }
}

class SalariedPay implements PayStrategy {
  calculate(emp: Employee): number {
    return emp.salary / 12;
  }
}

class CommissionPay implements PayStrategy {
  calculate(emp: Employee): number {
    return emp.sales * emp.commissionRate + emp.basePay;
  }
}

Guard Clauses (Replace Nested Conditionals)

// Before
function getPayAmount(employee: Employee): number {
  let result: number;
  if (employee.isSeparated) {
    result = 0;
  } else {
    if (employee.isRetired) {
      result = employee.pension;
    } else {
      result = employee.salary;
    }
  }
  return result;
}

// After
function getPayAmount(employee: Employee): number {
  if (employee.isSeparated) return 0;
  if (employee.isRetired) return employee.pension;
  return employee.salary;
}

Code Smells → Refactoring

Smell	Symptoms	Refactoring
Long function	>30 lines, multiple comments explaining sections	Extract Function
Long parameter list	>4 parameters	Introduce Parameter Object
Duplicate code	Same logic in 2+ places	Extract Function, Pull Up Method
Feature envy	Method uses another object's data more than its own	Move Function
Large class	Class does too many things	Extract Class
Primitive obsession	Using primitives instead of small objects	Replace Primitive with Object
Data clumps	Same group of variables appear together	Introduce Parameter Object
Switch statements	Type-based conditionals	Replace Conditional with Polymorphism
Temporary field	Field only used sometimes	Extract Class
Refused bequest	Subclass ignores inherited methods	Replace Inheritance with Delegation

Refactor vs Rewrite Decision

Refactor	Rewrite
Core design is sound	Fundamental design is wrong
Tests exist and pass	Code is untestable
<30% of code changes	>70% of code changes
Incremental improvement	Complete replacement
Low risk	Higher risk
Keep shipping features	Pause feature work

Safe Refactoring Workflow

1. Commit current state (safety net)
2. Run all tests (establish baseline)
3. Make ONE small change
4. Run tests
5. Commit with descriptive message
6. Repeat steps 3-5

Never: Refactor while adding features. Refactor OR feature, never both.

IDE Refactoring Support

Most refactorings are automated in VS Code:

Refactoring	VS Code Shortcut
Rename Symbol	F2
Extract Function	Ctrl+Shift+R → Extract Function
Extract Variable	Ctrl+Shift+R → Extract Variable
Inline Variable	Ctrl+Shift+R → Inline Variable
Move to File	Ctrl+Shift+R → Move to new file

Prefer IDE refactoring over manual edits — fewer mistakes, automatic reference updates.