For code authors, preparing and presenting your code effectively can significantly influence the efficiency and success of the code review process. This guide outlines modern, research-backed best practices for creating review-friendly code, integrating actionable insights from industry leaders, including Microsoft.
Writing clear, reviewable code
Readable and understandable code forms the foundation of a smooth review process. Strive to produce code that is concise, self-explanatory, and adheres to your team’s standards. Well-prepared code minimizes back-and-forth, reducing overall review time.
Best practices:
- Review your changes before submission: Always perform a detailed review of your own changes. Catch and fix obvious issues, ensuring your code is polished and ready for others to assess.
- Keep changes small and focused: Submit small, incremental changes instead of overwhelming reviewers with large, multifaceted pull requests (PRs). Compact changes are easier to understand and faster to review.
- Group related updates: Organize your PRs to focus on a single purpose or functional improvement. This approach simplifies context for reviewers and enables targeted feedback.
Responding to feedback constructively
Feedback is a cornerstone of code quality improvement. How you respond to reviewer suggestions can impact the quality of the code and foster a collaborative team culture.
Best practices:
- Embrace suggested changes: Stay open to constructive feedback, even if it challenges your approach. Assume good intent from reviewers and use their input to enhance your code.
- Show appreciation and communicate clearly: Acknowledge the time and effort reviewers invest. Use clear and respectful communication to explain actions you’ve taken in response to their feedback.
Refactoring and improving code quality
Refactoring enhances the structure and maintainability of your code without changing its functionality. A focus on clean and scalable code benefits the entire team and speeds up the review process.
Best practices:
- Provide context in your PR descriptions: Help reviewers quickly understand your work by writing detailed, clear PR descriptions. Mention the purpose of changes and any nuances that need explanation.
- Ensure tests pass before submission: Run automated tests to verify that your changes don’t introduce regressions. A clean test suite saves time for reviewers and helps maintain team efficiency.
- Leverage automation: Use tools like linters, style checkers, and static analysis software to catch common issues before submitting your code. This allows reviewers to focus on meaningful feedback rather than surface-level corrections.
Modern tools and practices to streamline code review
Beyond these practices, leveraging modern tools can further optimize the process:
- Continuous integration (CI): Automate builds, tests, and checks to detect issues early.
- Code review platforms: Use advanced review tools with features like inline comments, automated suggestions, and integrated testing frameworks.
- Graphite’s PR Inbox: Simplify PR organization and automate repetitive tasks for faster feedback cycles.
Graphite's PR Inbox
Graphite’s PR Inbox is designed to streamline the code review process by centralizing pull requests, prioritizing them based on urgency and relevance, and providing actionable insights. With its focus on reducing bottlenecks and improving collaboration, the PR inbox ensures that code reviews are not just faster but also more meaningful, empowering teams to maintain high-quality standards without compromising on productivity.
By following these best practices, you set the stage for effective and efficient reviews, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.