September 2005
Intermediate to advanced
240 pages
6h 28m
English
Content preview from Prefactoring
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3.12. Tools Are Tools—Use Them Wisely
Many software development tools are available. They range from requirements documentation to modeling tools to IDEs (Integrated Development Environment). Tools are wonderful. They can automate many processes and ensure consistency and integrity.
3.12.1. Work with or Against the IDE
Particular features of IDEs or frameworks can influence how you develop your system. An IDE such as Microsoft Visual Studio makes it easy to develop handlers for graphical user interface (GUI) events. With a couple of mouse clicks, you can set up a function that is called when a button is clicked or when text is entered into an edit box. The IDE strongly suggests a stylistic pattern for handling and naming the functions. You are welcome to override that pattern if you have strong feelings concerning your own style. However, it is often easier to accept rather than to fight. It will add consistency to your programs. Other developers working on your system might not be as adamant about the style and might be much more willing to accept the default. So the default becomes the easiest form of consistent code. [*]
[*] If you prefer your own style, select tools that do not impose their own style or allow you to customize their style. Eric M. Burke, a reviewer, gave the example of the Java Spring framework. Its persistence mechanism does not require you to code classes to be persisted in any particular style.
3.12.2. Multiple Tools
An old adage says, "Use the right tool ...
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.