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Method Length - How Long Is Too Long?   Message List  
Reply | Forward Message #324 of 346 |
RE: [parlezuml] Method Length - How Long Is Too Long?

> From: parlezuml@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:parlezuml@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bayley, Alistair
>
> > From: parlezuml@yahoogroups.com
> > [mailto:parlezuml@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of jasongorman_uk
> > Sent: 22 February 2009 18:00
> >
> > Sorry to labour the point, but if I made the following statement:
> >
> > "Any method containing more than 5,000 lines of executable code and
> > that will potentially need to be maintained by a human being is too
> > long and needs to be broken down into smaller methods."
> >
> > During a court case for professional software development
> > malpractice, who here would argue against that?
> >
> > Jason Gorman
>
>
> What's your evidence? Earlier I think you suggested 5-10 lines as your
> preferred upper limit.
>
> See the 2nd-last paragraph on this page (a summary of Code Complete,
> which I do not have):
> http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?LongFunctions
> Looks like 50-200 lines per method is optimal.


I found some evidence (OK, someone else did). From this blog entry:

http://dubroy.com/blog/2009/03/09/method-length-are-short-methods-actual
ly-worse/

we get a link to this study:

http://www.cistel.com/free_expertise/publications/Cistel-2002-01.pdf

(which I've only skimmed over, so cannot properly summarise.)

Alistair
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Wed Mar 11, 2009 9:47 am

abayley2
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Message #324 of 346 |
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One of the barriers to building a proper profession of software development is arguably that there's a lack of majority consensus on, well, pretty much...
jasongorman_uk
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Feb 22, 2009
12:08 am

I think the key is that a particular practise works well in the context of a specific collection of other practises. For example, Iterative Development, TDD,...
David Laing
mr_davidlaing
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Feb 22, 2009
12:30 pm

I notice you didn't answer the question ;-) ... context of a ... others) ... other - ... different ... start ... on, ... Who ... where ... impression...
jasongorman_uk
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Feb 22, 2009
12:31 pm
Daniel C. Kline
danielckline
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Feb 22, 2009
4:11 pm

The question is: Method Length - How Long Is Too Long?   The problem with total contextualism is the problem with total relativism, surely. Can anyone suggest...
Jason Gorman
jasongorman_uk
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Feb 22, 2009
4:22 pm

... relativism, surely. Can anyone suggest a context where a method containing, say, 5,000 LOC is fine? ... the majority will reach consensus on? Maybe lines...
ahpeeyem
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Feb 22, 2009
5:52 pm

... So if a 5,000 line method only did "one thing", it would be okay?...
jasongorman_uk
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Feb 22, 2009
5:54 pm

Sorry to labour the point, but if I made the following statement: "Any method containing more than 5,000 lines of executable code and that will potentially...
jasongorman_uk
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Feb 22, 2009
5:59 pm

... What's your evidence? Earlier I think you suggested 5-10 lines as your preferred upper limit. See the 2nd-last paragraph on this page (a summary of Code...
Bayley, Alistair
abayley2
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Feb 23, 2009
11:19 am

Oppsss.... Good debate! Seems, the bench mark depends of the organization policies or the coding practice it follows. What I have benched mark is a mix of many...
Pradeep (Gmail)
pradeepkeya
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Feb 23, 2009
12:18 pm

... I found some evidence (OK, someone else did). From this blog entry: http://dubroy.com/blog/2009/03/09/method-length-are-short-methods-actual ly-worse/ we...
Bayley, Alistair
abayley2
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Mar 11, 2009
9:47 am

IMHO It is too long when * there are still some lines to read but you have already forgotten what you've read * you need to take down notes to...
Arthur Carpio
acarpio1975
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Mar 12, 2009
1:07 am

I love this ... I would add: You can't describe it without referring to the code. From: parlezuml@yahoogroups.com [mailto:parlezuml@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf...
Daniel C. Kline
danielckline
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Mar 12, 2009
7:20 am

How long is too long?? THIS TOPIC HAS BEEN ON FOR TOO LONG!!! STOP THIS NON SENSE! ... From: Bayley, Alistair <Alistair_Bayley@...> Subject:...
Pippen
s_vinck1
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Mar 12, 2009
8:43 am

... what if I delegate? does that count? my Java method was only 3 lines long but delegated to something that was 5,020 lines of Forth code. (which I didn't...
Glenn Stanton
gmstanton
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Feb 23, 2009
5:45 pm

... Nope it would be pretty horrible wouldn't it, and in anything I've ever written there would have been plenty of places in that 5000 lines for logical...
ahpeeyem
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Feb 23, 2009
1:53 pm

Hi all, I always tend to make a method not more than 30 to 40 lines of code, so a human can see the whole method on screen without scrolling. This makes it...
Alex Walgreen (WAVE G...
startpixel
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Feb 23, 2009
12:21 pm

Hi, I suppose rather than continuing this discussion on the no of lines a method could/should have. We could list the pros & cons of having a method with too...
Balakrishnan S
mailbala31
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Feb 24, 2009
5:09 am

Alternatively, we could stop focusing on the exceptions, and rather look at the 95% confidence interval. I would be happy to say that 95% of the time, a method...
David Laing
mr_davidlaing
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Feb 24, 2009
9:20 am

One line. No more, no less. ;) That's what someone I was pairing with teased me about the other week - lately I seem to try to keep most of my methods down to...
Matt Wynne
mattwynneatf...
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Feb 24, 2009
9:20 am
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