Oddball Solution
The same problem is solved differently in different places.
Sign of Smell
When you encounter different solutions implemented in different places for the same problem in your codebase, it is referred to as the "Oddball Solution" smell, also known as the "Inconsistent Solution" smell. Generally, we should solve the same problem in the same way (and only one way) to keep the code consistent.
This smell may occur when there is an oversight that a functionally equivalent solution already exists, or when two or more developers are independently working on code to handle a similar situation without knowledge of each other's work.
According to Marcel Jerzyk in his book "Code Smells: A Comprehensive Online Catalog and Taxonomy," "Oddball Solution" is categorized as Bloaters. However, in my opinion, I believe the "Oddball Solution" smell belongs to the Dispensables catalog, similar to the "Duplicated Code" smell. It is better to remove the unnecessary inconsistency.
If you come across the keyword "Solving the same problem in different ways," you might question whether it is similar to the "Duplicated Code" code smells. When comparing the "Oddball Solution" with the "Duplicated Code" smell, the "Oddball Solution" refers to a different code that solves the same problem. On the other hand, duplicated code consists of similar code (or exactly the same code) used to solve some problems. Duplicated code doesn't always need to be used to solve the same problem; sometimes it is just repeated by accident. This duplication is often caused by copy-paste.
When you encounter two classes that attempt to solve the same problem but with different implementations or interfaces, it can be considered an "Alternative Classes with Different Interfaces" smell. In other words, the "Alternative Classes with Different Interfaces" smell is similar to the class-specific version of the "Oddball Solution" smell.
Reason of Smell
Readability: Oddball Solution make the code harder to read and understand. Developers need to learn and remember multiple ways of accomplishing the same task.
Reusability: One of the main benefits of object-oriented programming is the ability to reuse code. However, when we try to solve the same problem with different solutions, it can be challenging to use them interchangeably, which reduces code reusability. This can affect the performance of the software and make it harder to maintain and extend.
Violation of DRY Principle: DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) encourages developers to write code in a modular and reusable manner. When you have an Oddball Solution smell, you're essentially repeating yourself by implementing similar logic in multiple places. This redundancy increases the risk of bugs and inconsistencies.
Inconsistency: When multiple parts of code are intended to perform similar functions but have different implementations, it can create confusion for developers. Inconsistent naming, method signatures, or data structures make the codebase harder to understand and maintain.
Maintenance Challenge: When attempting to modify a problem that has different solutions scattered throughout the codebase, it introduces a new challenge for maintenance. If a bug is found and fixed in one solution, it is easy to forget to make the same fix in other similar solutions. Each change must be applied to multiple locations, which increases the likelihood of introducing inconsistencies or errors.
Refactoring Recipes
Unify Interfaces with Adapter
Rename Method
Reference
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