refactoring

type	skill
name	Refactoring
description	Safe code refactoring with step-by-step approach
skillSlug	refactoring
phases	["E"]
generated	"2026-03-02T00:00:00.000Z"
status	filled
scaffoldVersion	2.0.0

Refactoring

When to Use

Activate this skill when improving code structure without changing external behavior. Use it for extracting utilities, reducing duplication, improving naming, or simplifying complex logic.

Instructions

1. Identify the smell: Name the specific code smell (duplication, long method, feature envy, magic values, etc.).
2. Plan the refactoring:
   • List all files that will be affected.
   • Verify no external behavior will change (same API endpoints, same UI rendering).
   • Check if tests exist for the affected code (if not, consider writing tests first).
3. Execute in small steps:
   • Make one change at a time.
   • Verify the app still works after each step.
   • Use git to commit each step separately for easy rollback.
4. Common refactorings for this project:
   • Extract row mapper: Both backends have identical FranchiseRow → Franchise mapping. Extract to packages/shared.
   • Unify API client: lib/api.ts in Next.js and SvelteKit are nearly identical. Extract shared logic.
   • Extract validation: Both backends validate required fields inline. Create a shared validation function.
   • Constants for SQL: Move SQL query strings to named constants for readability.
5. Verify:
   • Run both backends and test CRUD operations.
   • Run both frontends and verify all pages render correctly.
   • Check TypeScript compilation passes in strict mode.
6. Legacy project policy: Focus refactoring efforts on the active stack (NestJS/SvelteKit) only. Do not invest refactoring time in legacy projects (Express/Next.js) as they are in maintenance-only mode. Shared utilities in packages/shared may still be refactored since they serve both stacks.

Examples

Before (duplicated in both backends):

const franchise = {
  id: row.id,
  name: row.name,
  ownerName: row.owner_name,
  email: row.email,
  phone: row.phone,
  address: row.address,
  city: row.city,
  state: row.state,
  status: row.status,
  createdAt: row.created_at,
  updatedAt: row.updated_at,
};

After (shared utility):

// packages/shared/src/mappers.ts
export function mapRowToFranchise(row: FranchiseRow): Franchise {
  return {
    id: row.id,
    name: row.name,
    ownerName: row.owner_name,
    email: row.email,
    phone: row.phone,
    address: row.address,
    city: row.city,
    state: row.state,
    status: row.status as FranchiseStatus,
    createdAt: row.created_at,
    updatedAt: row.updated_at,
  };
}