Abstract

A code review is basically a technical discussion that should lead to improvements in the code and/or shared knowledge in a team. As with any conversation, it should have substance and form.

What’s involved in a good code review? What kind of problems do we want to spot and address? Trisha Gee talks about things a reviewer may consider when looking at changes: what potential issues to look for, why certain patterns may be harmful, and, of course, what NOT to look at.

But when it comes to commenting on someone’s work, it may be hard to find the right words to convey a useful message without offending the authors. After all, this is something that they worked hard on. Maria Khalusova shares some observations, thoughts and practical tricks on how to give and receive feedback without turning a code review into a battlefield.

The Talk

More Information

Books

• What to Look for in a Code Review - Trisha Gee (free!)
• Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, Second Edition
  - Steve McConnell
• Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship - Robert C. Martin

Articles

• What to look for in a Code Review, the article that started all of this.
• What to look for in a Code Review: Tests
• What to look for in a Code Review: Performance
• What to look for in a Code Review: Data Structures
• What to look for in a Code Review: SOLID Principles
• What to look for in a Code Review: Security
• What to look for in a Code Review: Upsource Quick Wins
• What to look for in: Java 8 code
• Code Reviews: Just Do It
• What we learned from Google: code reviews aren’t just for catching bugs
• The Human Cost of Tech Debt
• How to Pick Your Battles on a Software Team

And, Of Course…

• You can download Upsource. It’s free for up to 10 users.