Such features depend quite heavily on gleaning data-type information from the code, which is fine for languages like Java and C#. But in dynamically-typed languages like Ruby, we don't have that type info, so things like method-name completion and automated renaming become impossible. (Or so I thought).

Stealing a trick from SmallTalk

It's been puzzling me that there isn't better refactoring support for Ruby, given that the whole concept of refactoring grew out of the SmallTalk community, in the first place. Or more accurately, I've been confused about how automated refactoring could be possible in a dynamic language like SmallTalk.

Then, recently, I stumbled across a paper describing "A Refactoring Tool for Smalltalk", which contains the following explanation:

The Refactoring Browser uses method wrappers to collect runtime information. These wrappers are activated when the wrapped method is called and when it returns. The wrapper can execute an arbitrary block of Smalltalk code. To perform the rename method refactoring dynamically, the Refactoring Browser renames the initial method and then puts a method wrapper on the original method. As the program runs, the wrapper detects sites that call the original method. Whenever a call to the old method is detected, the method wrapper suspends execution of the program, goes up the call stack to the sender and changes the source code to refer to the new, renamed method. Therefore, as the program is exercised, it converges towards a correctly refactored program.

Ah-ha! Cunning.

The Ruby version

As it turns out, we can do much the same thing in Ruby ... leaving aside the "go up the call stack and change the source code" part.

Here's the supporting code:

def method_renamed(h)
  old_name = h.keys[0].to_sym
  new_name = h.values[0].to_sym
  define_method(old_name) { |*args|
    file, line = caller[1].split(':')
    warning = "##{old_name} renamed to ##{new_name}"
    $stderr.puts "#{file}:#{line}: #{warning}"
    send(new_name, *args)
  }
end

Okay, here's a method I want to rename:

class LinkPanel

  def render
    # ... 
  end

end

When I rename it, I also record the change using method_renamed:

class LinkPanel

  method_renamed :render => :to_html

  def to_html
    # ... 
  end

end

Now, I run my tests, and calls to the renamed method result in warnings:

/home/mikew/eyaw/sidebar.rb:229: #render renamed to #to_html

With a single key-chord in my Ruby IDE, I can jump directly to the source-code in question, and fix up the call. I imagine that an ever-so-slightly-more intelligent IDE could complete the refactoring, applying the rename to the call-site automatically! Later on, when I'm confident that everything has been cleaned up, I'll go back and remove that method_renamed alias.

There's more to refactoring than just renaming stuff, of course. I think the "dynamic analysis" trick would be useful to support other refactorings, too ... though I haven't tried it yet.

Proviso: this approach relies on actually running the code, preferably from tests. As the original paper says:

.. the refactoring is only as good as your test suite. If there are pieces of code that are not executed, they will never be analyzed, and the refactoring will not be completed ...