Optimal Coder

In software development, there are scenarios where creating multiple objects with similar attributes and configurations is necessary. Instead of constructing each object from scratch, a more efficient approach is to duplicate an existing instance. This is precisely what the Prototype Design Pattern facilitates. What is the Prototype Pattern? The Prototype pattern is a creational design pattern that focuses on cloning objects. Rather than instantiating new objects directly, this pattern allows for the creation of copies of existing instances. This can be particularly beneficial when object creation is expensive or complex. Benefits of Using the Prototype Pattern Improved Performance – If object creation involves expensive operations such as database queries or intensive computations, cloning can optimize performance. Simplified Object Initialization – When an object requires extensive setup, cloning eliminates redundant initialization steps. Dynamic Object Modifications – Prototypes...

Code reviews are a crucial part of writing great software. They help maintain code quality, catch bugs early, and improve collaboration. But if done poorly, they can be frustrating, time-consuming, and even demotivating. So, how do you make your code reviews effective and useful? What to Do? 1. Prioritize Code Quality and Maintainability Make sure the code follows best practices and style guidelines. Check for ways to improve performance and efficiency. Ensure the code is easy to read and well-structured. 2. Give Constructive, Respectful Feedback Focus on helping, not just pointing out mistakes. Offer suggestions rather than just criticism. Highlight things that were done well, not just areas that need improvement. 3. Ensure the Code is Properly Tested Look for unit tests and integration tests where needed. Check for edge cases and possible failure points. Make sure tests actually pass before approving the PR. 4. Look Out for Security and Performance Issues Watch for common security ri...

Writing code without unit tests can be risky—you might not realize issues until it’s too late. Unit testing helps make sure your code actually does what it's supposed to. In this post, we’ll break down unit testing in C# using NUnit and explore how Test-Driven Development (TDD) can make your life easier. What’s Unit Testing Anyway? Unit testing is all about testing small, isolated chunks of your code to make sure they work correctly. Instead of waiting until the whole application is built and then scrambling to fix bugs, unit tests let you catch issues early. In C#, we typically use frameworks like NUnit , xUnit , or MSTest to write and run these tests. Why Should You Care About Unit Testing? Find Bugs Early: Fixing issues sooner rather than later saves time (and headaches). Make Your Code More Maintainable: Well-tested code is easier to update and improve. Write Better Code: Writing testable code forces you to structure it well. Acts as Documentation: Your tests describe what...

The Strategy Pattern is a behavioral design pattern that defines a family of algorithms, encapsulates each one, and makes them interchangeable. This pattern allows the algorithm to be selected at runtime, providing flexibility in designing software. It’s particularly useful when you have multiple ways of performing a task, and you want to choose the implementation dynamically without altering the client code. When To Use It? You Have Multiple Algorithms or Behaviors. Use it when you have a need for muplitple ways of performing a task, and you want to make these implementations interchangeable. Examples: Different sorting algorithms, payment methods, discount calculations... You Want to Eliminate Conditional Logic.  If you find yourself writing large if-else or switch statements to decide which algorithm to use, this pattern can simplify and clean up your code. Examples: A game character with different attack styles  You Need Runtime Flexibility.  Use this pattern if the ...

Let’s continue our series on design patterns with the Factory Method. Like the  Builder  or  Singleton  patterns we covered in previous posts, the Factory Method is also one of the creational patterns. It introduces a slightly more complex approach, offering a higher level of abstraction for object creation. Additionally, it helps decouple the object creation process from the rest of the application. It can be represented through the following components: Abstract object , which represents the base class for the objects that we want to create Concreate objects , classes that inherit the given base class Creator , abstraction of the classes resposible for the object creation Concreate creators, classes that inherit and implement given creator class Client or Consumer side , parts of the application where we call objects creation Bellow, we will show all these parts in one simple example. using System; // abstract object abstract class Engine { public abstract v...

In this post, we continue to explore ways to free your application from being tightly bound to the Entity Framework environment. The primary goal is to offer an alternative solution that is not only more flexible and robust but also gives you, as a developer, greater control over database manipulation with less abstraction and complexity. Here, we introduce a library for database migrations, which serves as a natural extension to tools like Dapper and SqlKata . Fluent Migrator Fluent Migrator  is a library designed for managing database migrations, giving you complete control over the execution and how migrations are written. It offers greater flexibility compared to standard EF migrations, which are closely tied to EF entities and generated automatically, often accompanied by additional overhead, including extra snapshot files. In the code snippet below, you’ll find a simple migration class. This class includes two methods that override the base Migration class, allowing you to d...

Undoubtedly, one of the most popular books in software engineering, it teaches the fundamentals of software architecture, methods for organizing code, and is widely regarded as a must-read for any software developer. Written by Robert C. Martin, also known as "Uncle Bob," the full title of the book is " Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship ". Key Takeaways The book emphasizes a few important topics to pay attention to: Readability: The code should be written in a meaningful manner that is easy to read and understand. It emphasizes the importance of simple, short, clear naming for variables, functions/methods, classes, and other structures for code organization (folders, namespaces, packages), as well as maintaining consistency in naming throughout the application. This also reduces the need to write comments in the code, as the code itself should be self-explanatory. Additionally, it's important to avoid using global variables, as they often i...