Business Complexity vs. Implementation Complexity
It is good software design practice to make sure that methods can be entirely viewed in the code editor that typically shows 30 to 45 lines at a time. The...
Answers to arguments against 100% coverage
I’ve been enthusiast about 100% coverage for more than a decade. The large code base of NDepend we are working on will reach soon 90% overall coverage. Most classes tested...
Static Analysis and Dependency Injection
For quite some years now, we (the NDepend team) got some demand about resolving Dependency Injection, see this page on our User Voices. Lately we’ve been considering such support carefully...
SOLID Design: The Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP)
After having covered the Open-Close Principle (OCP), the Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP), the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) and the Interface Segregation Principle (ISP) let’s talk about the Dependency Inversion Principle (DIP)...
SOLID Design: The Interface Segregation Principle (ISP)
After having covered The Open-Close Principle (OCP), The Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP) and the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) let’s talk about the Interface Segregation Principle (ISP) which is the I...
Are SOLID principles Cargo Cult?
My last post about SOLID Design: The Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) generated some discussion on reddit. The discussion originated from a remark considering SOLID principles as a Cargo Cult. Taking...
SOLID Design: The Single Responsibility Principle (SRP)
After having covered The Open-Close Principle (OCP) and The Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP) let’s talk about the Single Responsibility Principle (SRP) which is the S in the SOLID acronym. The...
SOLID Design: The Open-Close Principle (OCP)
The Open-Close principle (OCP) is the O in the well known SOLID acronym. Bertrand Meyer is generally credited for having originated the term open/closed principle, which appeared in his 1988...
SOLID design: The Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP)
The Liskov substitution principle is the L in the well known SOLID acronym. The original principle definition is: Methods that use references to base classes must be able to use...
Identify .NET Code Structure Patterns with no Effort
The two pillars of code maintainability are automatic testing and clean code structure. Testing is used to regularly challenge code correctness and detect regression early. Testing can be easily assessed...
Ensure that your classes are declared as sealed when possible
Inheritance is one of the pillar of OOP. However, in the real world, most classes are not designed to be properly inheritable. Properly designing a class to be inheritable is...
The continuous adaptation of Visual Studio extensions
One could think that developing an extension for a two-decades+ product as mature as Visual Studio is headache-less. Not really. Visual Studio is a big big beast used by millions...
Simplifying a Visual Studio extension menu: A Case Study
NDepend version 2019.2.1 has just been released. This new version proposes a simplified menu for the NDepend Visual Studio extension. Before going further I underline that we didn’t get rid...
An in-depth analysis of .NET Core 3.0 support for WPF and Winforms APIs
.NET Core 3.0 will be RTM soon and it supports WPF and Winforms APIs. In my last post I’ve been exploring .NET Core 3.0 new APIs by comparing compiled bits...
Exploring .NET Core 3.0 new API
.NET Core 3.0 is representing a major step for the .NET community. It is interesting to analyze what’s new in the API directly from the compiled bits. In this post...
Advanced Code Search : A Case Study
This morning I stumbled on a complex test to write. The need was to create and show a custom Form (written with Windows Form) that relies on the System.ComponentModel.BackgroundWorker to do...
Service Oriented Architecture: A Dead Simple Explanation
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) has been with us for a long time. The term first appeared in 1998, and since then it’s grown in popularity. It’s also branched into several variants,...
C# Features: An Exhaustive List of the Best Ones
The first post I wrote for the NDepend blog was about C# 8.0 features. That post inspired a sequel, followed by the series’ final chapter. Those posts dealt with the...
REST vs. RESTful: The Difference and Why the Difference Doesn’t Matter
What’s the difference between a REST API and a RESTful one? Is there a difference? This sounds like the kind of academic question that belongs on Reddit. But then you...
Coupling in Programming: What This Means and How Not to Get Burned
What is coupling in programming? Is it something we want to avoid when we design and write code? If so, why? And more importantly, how? Let’s take a look at...
Mentoring Software Developers as an Architect
A while back we discussed the unique career path architects have to travel. We wrote that article for developers who want to advance their careers and aren’t sure which way...
Self Documenting Code vs. Comments? Turns Out It’s Both or Neither
It’s been about a month since my last research post, and I’ve been musing about the next topic. What should it be? Well, I’ve decided. Since I love nothing more...
Visual Studio Enterprise vs. Professional: Essential Differences
If you’re a .NET developer, then it’s overwhelmingly likely that you’re a Visual Studio user. There are alternatives to it, sure. But the product from the Redmond giant is the...
Domain-Driven Design Demystified
Domain-driven design, or DDD, is a software design methodology aimed at producing better software. Engineers achieve this by working closely with domain experts during the continuous design process. Eric Evans...
Should Architects Write Code? You Bet They Should!
There’s a common misconception that’s permeated our profession: Architects don’t need to write code to do their jobs. Now, this may seem like a harmless approach. After all, writing code...
Hexagonal Architecture: What Is It and How Does It Work?
Hexagonal architecture is a model or pattern for designing software applications. The idea behind it is to put inputs and outputs at the edges of your design. In doing so,...
When Is It Okay to Use a C# Partial Class?
Today’s post attempts to answer a very simple and straightforward question: “When is it OK to use a C# partial class?” And the answer as straightforward as this: “When you need...
Extension Methods and the Decline of Traditional OOP
A bunch of years ago, I wrote a post on my own personal blog titled, “Why I Don’t Like C# Extension Methods.” Over the years, I’ve updated that post a...
Shotgun Surgery: What It Is and How to Stop It
I really love the name “shotgun surgery” for describing a code smell. It’s sort of an interesting mix of aggressive and comical, and so it paints a memorable picture. I...
Onion Architecture: Going Beyond Layers
So you’ve read about the Onion Architecture and think you get it. There are layers in this architecture. They’re onion-like. And they make your code better. But how? And what...