Programming Concepts Intermediate

What is Refactoring?

Restructuring existing code without changing its external behavior to improve readability, maintainability, and performance.

Refactoring improves code quality without altering functionality. Common refactoring operations include extracting methods, renaming variables, removing duplication, simplifying conditionals, and breaking up large classes.

Automated tests are essential for safe refactoring — they verify behavior remains unchanged after restructuring. IDEs provide automated refactoring tools. Martin Fowler's "Refactoring" book is the definitive guide.

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A system that records changes to files over time, allowing you to recall specific versions, collaborate, and track history.

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