Motivation

Every method (and every operation in general for that matter) can only operate under certain conditions. If we express these pre- and post-conditions in the code (following the idea of Design by Contract), we make that code both easier to understand and less error-prone.

Unfortunately, most programming languages support only a poor man’s DbC with assertions.

Mechanics

  • Document a method’s pre-conditions with Introduce Assertion.
  • Document the method’s post-conditions with Introduce Assertion.
  • Check if the class that contains the method follows invariants and document them with Introduce Assertion, too.
  • For every condition: If it makes sense, introduce a predicate method that gives the check a name. If applicable use Extract Method for that.
  • Expose the predicate method by giving it the same visibility as the changed method.

Example(s)