Refactoring
/riːˈfæktərɪŋ/re·fac·tor·ingnoun
Definition
1.[in software engineering] a change to the internal structure of existing code that leaves its observable behaviour exactly as it was, undertaken to make later changes cheaper.
An afternoon of refactoring turned the 400-line handler into six testable functions.
Etymology
From re- 'again' plus factor in the mathematical sense of extracting common terms. Coined by William Opdyke and Ralph Johnson in 1990, and carried into general use by Martin Fowler's 1999 book.
Synonyms
- restructuringsense 1 · Near
Antonyms
- rewritesense 1 · Relational
See also
References
- Fowler, M. (1999). Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code.Addison-Wesley.