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We've all seen the monolithic Rails model, pages and pages of methods all dumped into one class. Inevitably someone starts moving things around just to feel better about the loc count without making any real difference. How can we reify actions on an object and simplify our classes? In this talk we'll examine Rack middleware as a general purpose method of object composition, see examples of it at work in Vagrant, and use these ideas to simplify an existing application. Help us caption & translate this video! http://amara.org/v/FGkq/
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In his talk at LA RubyConf 2012, John Bender addresses the common issue of large classes in Ruby on Rails applications and presents Rack middleware as a solution for object composition and code organization. He starts by identifying the challenges posed by monolithic classes, where extensive numbers of methods complicate code maintainability. Bender emphasizes that while there are various approaches to manage large classes, including mixing in functionalities, he will focus on object composition and middleware as more effective strategies. **Key Points Discussed:** - **Issues with Large Classes:** Bender highlights that developers often encounter unwieldy user classes in Rails applications, which can lead to poor organization and difficulties in navigation. - **Existing Solutions:** He mentions that existing solutions involve mixing in functionalities or breaking down methods, but stresses the importance of context in code organization. - **Object Composition:** An illustrative example he provides is refactoring the handling of bulb age from a lamp class into a separate bulb class, showcasing how separating concerns can simplify class structure. - **Understanding Middleware:** Bender explains what Rack middleware is, describing it as a framework for processing requests where each middleware has the opportunity to modify requests as they pass through a stack. He clarifies the function and importance of middleware in Rails applications, especially compared to Vagrant's easier middleware management, which reduces complexity during operations such as managing virtual machines. - **Refactoring with Middleware:** The speaker uses the Diaspora social network as a case study, proposing that large classes can be refactored by extracting methods into new classes, allowing for better organization and making it easier to manage dependencies. - **Conclusion:** To consolidate functionalities and improve class structure, Bender suggests using middleware as a way to group behaviors logically, promoting code reusability and simplifying testing. He concludes that with careful consideration of when to apply middleware, developers can significantly enhance the maintainability and organization of their applications. Overall, Bender advocates for middleware as a particularly powerful abstraction for improving class design and streamlining code in Ruby on Rails applications. **Takeaways:** - Middleware is beneficial for handling common functionality scattered across classes, promoting modularization and clarity in code. - Object composition through middleware can lead to a more manageable and efficient architecture in software development.
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