AI BriefingImproving Code Quality - Session 43: Handling Return Values
Key point
When splitting a function apart, you should gather the logic that determines the final return value in one place rather than scattering it, to make maintenance easier.
Details
The registerNewUser function, which handles user registration, goes through two steps: account creation and profile image upload. As the function grows bulky, it is often split into helper functions like requestCreatingAccount and requestUploadingProfileImage for readability.
However, in this process, a problem can arise where the decision logic for the return value gets scattered across multiple functions. This is because reading only the registerNewUser function makes it hard to immediately grasp what RegistrationResult will ultimately be returned.
When knowledge about the return value is scattered like this, the scope of changes widens and the likelihood of mistakes increases whenever the return value specification needs to be changed in the future. Therefore, gathering the decision logic for the return value in one place instead of scattering it is far more advantageous in terms of code quality and maintainability.
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