The Programmer's Brain

4 How to read complex code

This chapter covers:

• Analyzing what happens when your working memory is overloaded by complex code
• Comparing two different types of working memory overload when programming
• Refactoring code for readability to compensate for an overloaded working memory
• Creating a state table and a dependency graph to support your working memory when reading complex code

Chapter 1 introduced the different ways in which code can be confusing. We’ve seen that confusion can be caused by a lack of information, which must be acquired and stored in your STM, or by a lack of knowledge, which requires storing information in your LTM. This chapter covers the third source of confusion: a lack of processing power in the brain.

Sometimes the code ...