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Making large scale changes
Joseph Hoare edited this page Mar 10, 2021
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Astra automates changing code, and therefore can be used to make changes on a massive scale. Here are some top tips for preparing bulk refactors:
- Take extra steps to verify the correctness of the refactor.
- When developing your refactor, use the unit test framework. Please see our guide in Start with tests.
- When your refactor passes unit testing, run it locally over a subset of the code, and open it in your IDE. This will help flush out compilation errors and other gaps before investing the time to run it more broadly.
- Before committing:
- Have a plan for what to do if things go wrong. Can you easily revert your changes?
- Think about code review, remembering the rule of bulk reviews: 10 lines of code = 10 issues. 500 lines of code = “looks fine.”
- Form a team you can call on if things go wrong.
- Split the problem into the smallest possible chunks, and commit them separately.
- Communicate your changes to the rest of your team or organisation. Changing code is comparatively simple - but don't overlook the value of good communication and change management.