Practical pointers for better code review
- 1. Welcome Practical pointers for better code review
- 2. Introduction ● About me: Python dev at Four Digits – Web stuff – Python, Django, Wagtail CMS, React ● Slides will be linked from Twitter @keeshink
- 3. Code review goals ● Find bugs ● Check if it solves the problem ● Check maintainability ● Share knowledge / onboard people
- 4. More goals ● Discuss alternative approaches ● Make less experienced developers learn ● Link to documentation and other sources ● Avoid unwanted new dependencies on external packages ● Check team members’ understanding ● Recognize when (end user) documentation needs update ● Record reasons for code changes ● Recognize when external parties need to be informed
- 5. Goal: Check if it solves the problem ● Ask until problem is entirely clear ● Ask until proposed solution is clear
- 6. Example: Problem+solution unclear ● Customer: “When I try logging in with my username in CAPITALS, I get this message in red: ● Developer: OK
- 7. Goal: Share knowledge, onboard people ● Ask a “control question” ● Ask questions instead of suggesting changes ● Also comment on what is good in the MR ● As submitter: Put in a TBD, ask for suggestions ● Have agreements / rules for MRs
- 8. Goal: Maintainability (1) ● Pretend it’s yours from now on ● Ask until code is clear to you ● Split large MR into small ones ● Review one commit at a time
- 9. Goal: Maintainability (2) ● Actively look for similar code elsewhere in the project ● Consider the name of each class / method / variable / file ● Follow the code across referenced methods ● Check dependencies’ repo: #devs, last release, open issues
- 11. Goal: Find bugs (1) ● There is no recipe ● Discuss the “interface”
- 12. Goal: Find bugs (2: read tests) ● If A B, also test !A !B → → ● Run test without fix (should fail) ● Test with edge case inputs
- 13. Know the kind of review to do ● Know your project ● Know the timeline ● Know yourself
- 14. Thank you ● Thank you for being here ● Thanks to my colleagues for their MRs... ● ...and for reviewing mine!