How do I break up my Elm view code into separate files? - refactoring

So far all of my view code is still in my main file, Main.elm. Within that file, it's relatively well-factored, with the different parts of the view broken down appropriately.
My question: I'd really like to break it out into separate files, e.g.:
- Views/Header.elm
- Views/InfoPage.elm
- Views/Footer.elm
- etc
But I'm really not clear on how to do this. Sure, I can make the different files and import/export the functions that I need. Not difficult with very simple views (e.g. a footer), but I quickly ran into problems with more complex views most of which contain app logic, i.e. calls to the update function. Of course, if I then import the Msgs to my separate view files, then I get a circular dependency. Apologies if this is a naive question, but how do I solve this? I just want to be able have different page sections in different files, it's so much easier for me to navigate like that than perma-scrolling around.
I've googled around and read a few posts about refactoring Elm apps (for example), but nothing focused specifically on the view code. Can anyone give me some pointers? Is it not possible to break out view code without also factoring out the app logic that it uses? (And what if that app logic is used elsewhere too?) I'd really appreciate some help here.

You can organize your dependencies as follows:
Model.elm (includes Model and Msg)
^ ^
| |
View.elm Update.elm
^ ^
| |
Main.elm
You say that you "ran into problems with more complex views, most of which contain app logic, i.e. calls to the update function." But views should not contain app logic and do not call the update function. Views only need to declare what Msg constructor to use to handle various events, so view and update are completely decoupled.

Related

Add global helper functions to bit.dev project

I am pretty happy with bit.dev. But there is one point I am not getting to work.
I need some global functions like formatting currency or saving same constants and enums, that I want to use from different components.
One way would be to add the code to every single component, but that would be just code duplication. The other way could be to create a component with just constants or helper functions, but I don't know whether bit is designed for that way.
Is there some best practice how I could solve that problem?
best regarts!
I work at Bit. In Bit, we solved it by having a scope for utilities functions, which we named toolbox.
Inside that scope, you can publish each of your functions as a nodeJS component. You can give it a look here to our Toolbox
Inside of it, we created several namespaces. We have one for strings, arrays, filesystem, and many others.
The principle is the same as you have been working so far: create your component, export it, and import it to any project you may need.
Let me know if that helped

What is the proper way to organize / structure Go package folders and files?

I know this might be controversial or not very broad but I'm going to try to be very specific and relate to other questions.
Ok so when I make a Go program what things should I be thinking in terms of how I should organize my project? (E.g. should I think ok I'm going to have controllers of some sort so I should have a controller subdirectory that's going to do this so I should have that)
How should I structure a package?
For example the current program I'm working on I'm trying to make a SteamBot using this package
But while I'm writing it I don't know if I should export certain methods into their own own files, e.g. I'd have something like
func (t *tradeBot) acceptTrade() {}
func (t *tradeBot) declineTrade() {}
func (t *tradeBot) monitorTrade() {}
func (t *tradeBot) sendTrade() {}
each method is going to have quite a bit of code so should I export each method into its own file or just have 1 file with 3000 lines of code in it?
Also using global variables so that I can set one variable and then leave it and be able to use it in multiple functions, or is this bad and I should pass the variables as arguments?
Also should I order my files like:
package
imports
constants
variables
functions
methods
Or do I just put things where I need them?
The first place to look for inspiration is the Go standard library. The Go standard library is a pretty good guide of what "good" Go code should look like. A library isn't quite the same as an application, but it's definitely a good introduction.
In general, you would not break up every method into its own file. Go tends to prefer larger files that cover a topic. 3000 lines seems quite large, though. Even the net/http server.go is only 2200 lines, and it's pretty big.
Global mutable variables are just as bad in Go as in any language. Since Go relies so heavily on concurrent programming, global mutable variables are quite horrible. Don't do that. One common exception is sync structures like sync.Pool or sync.Once, which sometimes are package global, but are also designed to be accessed concurrently. There are also sometimes "Default" versions of structures, like http.DefaultClient, but you can still pass explicit ones to functions. Again, look through the Go standard library and see what is common and what is rare.
Just a few tips that you hopefully find useful:
Organize code into multiple files and packages by features, not by layers. This becomes more important the bigger your application becomes. package controllers with one or two controllers is probably ok, but putting hundreds of unrelated controllers in the same package doesn't make any sense. The following article explains it very well: http://www.javapractices.com/topic/TopicAction.do?Id=205
Global variables sometimes make code easier to write however they should be used with care. I think unexported global variables for things like logger, debug flags, etc are ok.

howto struct a code? e.g. at the top all variables, then all methods and last all event handlers

i'm currently working on a big projekt and i loose many time searching the right thing in the code. i need to get e.g. a method which makes someting special. so i scroll the whole code.
are there any common and effective methods to struct a file of code? e.g.
1. all global variables
2. constructor etc.
3. all methods
4. all event handlers
do you know common methods to do this??
It's more usual to break large projects into several source files, with logically related functionality. This helps with speeding up compilation and reducing coupling in your design as well as helping you navigate the code.
An example might be to have separate files for
UI functionality
helper classes (such as geometric/maths stuff)
file I/O
core functionality that connects the rest together
Design is a large topic, the book Code Complete by Steve McConnell might be a good starting point for you.
You shouldnt use global variables :)
Try spreading things out over different classes and files. Maks sure each class has only one purpose, instead of 1 class that manages a whole lot of different tasks.
That sounds like a sensible enough structure to me, what would really benefit you though is learning to use the tools you have available — whatever editor you're using it will have a search function, you can use that to quickly find what you're looking for.
Some editors will also include bookmarks too, and most offer a way to move back and forward through recent positions in the file.
Seen this sort of things started, never seen it kept on under the pressure to turn out code though.
Basically my rule of thumb is, if I feel the need to do this, break the code file up.

translating using a global function in OO environment (Zend Framework)

I am working on a project build on the Zend Framework. I'm using Zend_Translate to do my translations, but I want to keep the amount of extra code in the front of my application (views) as minimal as possible. Translation of a text should look like this:
echo __("Text to translate");
Using a view helper isn't doing it, because then I get:
echo $this->__("Text to translate");
This would mean I have to declare a global function somewhere, that calls for Zend_Translate to do the rest of the magic. Because I want the project to stay as clean as possible I'd like some suggestions on where to put this function.
I have considered including a file with my global function inside of the _initLocale() in the bootstrap.
Basically my question is: am I now violating all the holy MVC principles, or is this the right way to go?
This is actually not an easy question to answer. Of course you're violating some principles of OOP because you're basically punctuating your objects with hundreds of little wholes where there should be just one. You should be injecting the translation object into your controllers and views once and then call $this->__(). This is also easily done by creating an intermediate layer between Zend_Controller_Action and your own controllers. BUT... translation is a very specific case and I don't see much potential harm coming from your solution. The Translation method is not likely to change its logics and if you need to rename it, finding and replacing two underscores followed by a bracket will most probably not yield anything else than translated strings... then again that use of 'most probably' is a smell already.
Summary: It seems more or less ok but I still wouldn't do it, especially if it's a software of some meaning with an expected life span of some years.

How do you feel about code folding? [closed]

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For those of you in the Visual Studio environment, how do you feel about wrapping any of your code in #regions? (or if any other IDE has something similar...)
9 out of 10 times, code folding means that you have failed to use the SoC principle for what its worth.
I more or less feel the same thing about partial classes. If you have a piece of code you think is too big you need to chop it up in manageable (and reusable) parts, not hide or split it up.It will bite you the next time someone needs to change it, and cannot see the logic hidden in a 250 line monster of a method.
Whenever you can, pull some code out of the main class, and into a helper or factory class.
foreach (var item in Items)
{
//.. 100 lines of validation and data logic..
}
is not as readable as
foreach (var item in Items)
{
if (ValidatorClass.Validate(item))
RepositoryClass.Update(item);
}
My $0.02 anyways.
This was talked about on Coding Horror.
My personal belief is that is that they are useful, but like anything in excess can be too much.
I use it to order my code blocks into:
Enumerations
Declarations
Constructors
Methods
Event Handlers
Properties
Sometimes you might find yourself working on a team where #regions are encouraged or required. If you're like me and you can't stand messing around with folded code you can turn off outlining for C#:
Options -> Text Editor -> C# -> Advanced Tab
Uncheck "Enter outlining mode when files open"
I use #Region to hide ugly and useless automatically generated code, which really belongs in the automatically generated part of the partial class. But, when working with old projects or upgraded projects, you don't always have that luxury.
As for other types of folding, I fold Functions all the time. If you name the function well, you will never have to look inside unless you're testing something or (re-)writing it.
While I understand the problem that Jeff, et. al. have with regions, what I don't understand is why hitting CTRL+M,CTRL+L to expand all regions in a file is so difficult to deal with.
I use Textmate (Mac only) which has Code folding and I find it really useful for folding functions, I know what my "getGet" function does, I don't need it taking up 10 lines of oh so valuable screen space.
I never use it to hide a for loop, if statement or similar unless showing the code to someone else where I will hide code they have seen to avoid showing the same code twice.
I prefer partial classes as opposed to regions.
Extensive use of regions by others also give me the impression that someone, somewhere, is violating the Single Responsibility Principle and is trying to do too many things with one object.
#Tom
Partial classes are provided so that you can separate tool auto-generated code from any customisations you may need to make after the code gen has done its bit. This means your code stays intact after you re-run the codegen and doesn't get overwritten. This is a good thing.
I'm not a fan of partial classes - I try to develop my classes such that each class has a very clear, single issue for which it's responsible. To that end, I don't believe that something with a clear responsibility should be split across multiple files. That's why I don't like partial classes.
With that said, I'm on the fence about regions. For the most part, I don't use them; however, I work with code every day that includes regions - some people go really heavy on them (folding up private methods into a region and then each method folded into its own region), and some people go light on them (folding up enums, folding up attributes, etc). My general rule of thumb, as of now, is that I only put code in regions if (a) the data is likely to remain static or will not be touched very often (like enums), or (b) if there are methods that are implemented out of necessity because of subclassing or abstract method implementation, but, again, won't be touched very often.
Regions must never be used inside methods. They may be used to group methods but this must be handled with extreme caution so that the reader of the code does not go insane. There is no point in folding methods by their modifiers. But sometimes folding may increase readability. For e.g. grouping some methods that you use for working around some issues when using an external library and you won't want to visit too often may be helpful. But the coder must always seek for solutions like wrapping the library with appropriate classes in this particular example. When all else fails, use folding for improving readibility.
This is just one of those silly discussions that lead to nowhere. If you like regions, use them. If you don't, configure your editor to turn them off. There, everybody is happy.
I generally find that when dealing with code like Events in C# where there's about 10 lines of code that are actually just part of an event declaration (the EventArgs class the delegate declaration and the event declaration) Putting a region around them and then folding them out of the way makes it a little more readable.
Region folding would be fine if I didn't have to manually maintain region groupings based on features of my code that are intrinsic to the language. For example, the compiler already knows it's a constructor. The IDE's code model already knows it's a constructor. But if I want to see a view of the code where the constructors are grouped together, for some reason I have to restate the fact that these things are constructors, by physically placing them together and then putting a group around them. The same goes for any other way of slicing up a class/struct/interface. What if I change my mind and want to see the public/protected/private stuff separated out into groups first, and then grouped by member kind?
Using regions to mark out public properties (for example) is as bad as entering a redundant comment that adds nothing to what is already discernible from the code itself.
Anyway, to avoid having to use regions for that purpose, I wrote a free, open source Visual Studio 2008 IDE add-in called Ora. It provides a grouped view automatically, making it far less necessary to maintain physical grouping or to use regions. You may find it useful.
I think that it's a useful tool, when used properly. In many cases, I feel that methods and enumerations and other things that are often folded should be little black boxes. Unless you must look at them for some reason, their contents don't matter and should be as hidden as possible. However, I never fold private methods, comments, or inner classes. Methods and enums are really the only things I fold.
My approach is similar to a few others here, using regions to organize code blocks into constructors, properties, events, etc.
There's an excellent set of VS.NET macros by Roland Weigelt available from his blog entry, Better Keyboard Support for #region ... #endregion. I've been using these for years, mapping ctrl+. to collapse the current region and ctrl++ to expand it. Find that it works a lot better that the default VS.NET functionality which folds/unfolds everything.
I personally use #Regions all the time. I find that it helps me to keep things like properties, declarations, etc separated from each other.
This is probably a good answer, too!
Coding Horror
Edit: Dang, Pat beat me to this!
The Coding Horror article actual got me thinking about this as well.
Generally, I large classes I will put a region around the member variables, constants, and properties to reduce the amount of text I have to scroll through and leave everything else outside of a region. On forms I will generally group things into "member variables, constants, and properties", form functions, and event handlers. Once again, this is more so I don't have to scroll through a lot of text when I just want to review some event handlers.
I prefer #regions myself, but an old coworker couldn't stand to have things hidden. I understood his point once I worked on a page with 7 #regions, at least 3 of which had been auto-generated and had the same name, but in general I think they're a useful way of splitting things up and keeping everything less cluttered.
I really don't have a problem with using #region to organize code. Personally, I'll usually setup different regions for things like properties, event handlers, and public/private methods.
Eclipse does some of this in Java (or PHP with plugins) on its own. Allows you to fold functions and such. I tend to like it. If I know what a function does and I am not working on it, I dont need to look at it.
Emacs has a folding minor mode, but I only fire it up occasionally. Mostly when I'm working on some monstrosity inherited from another physicist who evidently had less instruction or took less care about his/her coding practices.
Using regions (or otherwise folding code) should have nothing to do with code smells (or hiding them) or any other idea of hiding code you don't want people to "easily" see.
Regions and code folding is really all about providing a way to easily group sections of code that can be collapsed/folded/hidden to minimize the amount of extraneous "noise" around what you are currently working on. If you set things up correctly (meaning actually name your regions something useful, like the name of the method contained) then you can collapse everything except for the function you are currently editing and still maintain some level of context without having to actually see the other code lines.
There probably should be some best practice type guidelines around these ideas, but I use regions extensively to provide a standard structure to my code files (I group events, class-wide fields, private properties/methods, public properties/methods). Each method or property also has a region, where the region name is the method/property name. If I have a bunch of overloaded methods, the region name is the full signature and then that entire group is wrapped in a region that is just the function name.
I personally hate regions. The only code that should be in regions in my opinion is generated code.
When I open file I always start with Ctrl+M+O. This folds to method level. When you have regions you see nothing but region names.
Before checking in I group methods/fields logically so that it looks ok after Ctrl+M+O.
If you need regions you have to much lines in your class. I also find that this is very common.
region ThisLooksLikeWellOrganizedCodeBecauseIUseRegions
// total garbage, no structure here
endregion
Enumerations
Properties
.ctors
Methods
Event Handlers
That's all I use regions for. I had no idea you could use them inside of methods.
Sounds like a terrible idea :)

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