Learning a Codebase
Coming Soon!
For this lesson, we will refer to a large codebase on github for an application I really like called Excalidraw. I've never looked the codebase for this application, so we will be learning it together.
Reading Code
Start with the big stuff, end with the little stuff.
languages and frameworks
System design
libraries/packages/models (code that may not be in the codebase). Get an idea of what is used to make the app.
- python- equirements.txt
- nodejs - package.json
- rails - Gemfile
- if you can't find this type of file, look at all imports (require)
- .env
database
- Could be a file or
Classes & Methods
- Superclasses as well, module class or custom class?
- This app uses functional programming. Very few classes
functions
- packages/excalidraw/fonts/index.ts
- register()
- packages/excalidraw/fonts/index.ts
variables, conditions
config, .env
scripts
cron jobs
Write your own business rules from what you learn.
important folders
- packages/escalidraw
Here are some questions we should answer:
Backend:
- Libraries - Other services or features not explorable in the codebase (have to go to another codebase)
- Where is the Database to get the schema
- Variables - container to store data
- Functions - What is happening to the data
- Classes - Logical groups of related code
- Conditions - When code is triggered
- frontend/backend
Packages
husky - https://github.com/typicode/husky jsdom - https://github.com/jsdom/jsdom pepjs - https://www.npmjs.com/package/pepjshttps://www.npmjs.com/package/rewire vite react
For Web apps:
- Schema - all of the data
- Routes - api endpoints that call methods or functions
class Beneficiary():
pass
class PushService():
@classmethod
def notify(beneficiary,message):
pass
class Notifier:
def __init__(self):
self.transaction = Transaction()
self.sender = sender(transaction)
self.beneficiary = Beneficiary()
PushService.notify(
self.beneficiary,
f"You received {self.transaction.amount()} from {self.sender.name}"
)The code above notifies a beneficiary of a transaction; of the amount that was transferred and who sent it.