Lesson 13: Refactoring to patterns
Some code gets reopened by every new requirement: one more if, one more risk to branches that already work. This lesson teaches you to spot that code smell early and refactor a conditional chain into the Strategy pattern step by step — so a new requirement becomes a new class instead of a risky edit
Refactoring to a pattern is like swapping one overloaded pocket knife for a tidy toolbox: every job gets its own tool, and a new tool joins without dismantling the old ones.
- Refactoring to patterns
- Recognize a code smell first, then refactor step by step toward a named pattern such as Strategy or Factory.
- code smell
- A visible warning sign — like an if chain growing with every requirement — predicting where the design will break tomorrow.
- Strategy pattern
- Each interchangeable behavior lives in its own class behind one shared contract, and calling code picks a strategy instead of branching on a type.