Speculative Generality §

Signs and Symptoms §

There’s an unused class, method, field or parameter.

Reasons for the Problem §

Sometimes code is created “just in case” to support anticipated future features that never get implemented. As a result, code becomes hard to understand and support.

Treatment §

• For removing unused abstract classes, try Collapse Hierarchy.

• Unnecessary delegation of functionality to another class can be eliminated via Inline Class.

• Unused methods? Use Inline Method to get rid of them.

• Methods with unused parameters should be given a look with the help of Remove Parameter.

• Unused fields can be simply deleted.

Payoff §

• Slimmer code.
• Easier support.

When to Ignore §

• If you’re working on a framework, it’s eminently reasonable to create functionality not used in the framework itself, as long as the functionality is needed by the frameworks’s users.

• Before deleting elements, make sure that they aren’t used in unit tests. This happens if tests need a way to get certain internal information from a class or perform special testing-related actions.