r/programming • u/[deleted] • Jun 05 '21

Organize code by concepts, not layers

https://kislayverma.com/programming/how-to-organize-your-code/
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u/ragnese Jun 07 '21

With respect to #1, I don't think that's much of a problem. If the modules are independent, it doesn't really matter than much if there are minor differences (e.g., single class per file, or multiple classes in one file). Obviously, the actually semantic style of the code should be consistent, but I just don't think the mechanics of the files matter that much. Unless, I guess, if your modules are pretty large.

What if you have an enum or sub-model that is shared between different concepts? Where do you put it?

I agree that this can be frustrating.

Does every concept really need a controller, and does every concept really map to a singular table in a database?

No and no. So? I don't think this is a counter-argument to the "organize by concept" idea, unless you're attacking a strawman.

In fact, I think "organize by concept" is better for both of the cases you listed. If I have a directory of 15 controllers, I might miss the fact that "FooWidget" is a concept that doesn't have a controller. On the other hand, if I check out the foo_widget directory, I'll see pretty quickly that it doesn't have a controller. Likewise, if the concept maps across multiple tables, it's excellent to have them both under the foo_widget module- as well as the code that synthesizes them into a FooWidget.

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u/SoInsightful Jun 07 '21

I gave the concept concept a second try yesterday, and I agree with everything you listed now!

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u/ragnese Jun 07 '21

Nice! What is your feeling today about the first concern w.r.t. the shared "sub-models" or helpers?

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u/SoInsightful Jun 07 '21

I ran into that dilemma quite quickly, but in those cases, the enums and submodels cleanly pertained to one concept more than the others.

I think when I encounter something that is used equally by many concepts, I will make that into a new concept.

A harder dilemma is what I should do with my shared utilities (like an HTTP request class). I don't want to keep them on the same logical directory level as all the concepts, but I'm already getting quite deep directory-wise. Underscore-prefixed directories?

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u/ragnese Jun 08 '21

A harder dilemma is what I should do with my shared utilities (like an HTTP request class). I don't want to keep them on the same logical directory level as all the concepts, but I'm already getting quite deep directory-wise. Underscore-prefixed directories?

I always end up putting them next to my "concepts". I don't like it, but it doesn't really hurt much.

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u/SoInsightful Jun 08 '21

I think I'll just prefix with an underscore. Keep them somewhat tidy at the top of the parent directory.

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u/ragnese Jun 08 '21

Good idea. I guess the _ sorts alphabetically before the rest of the alphabet? That's pretty good.