Compiled Learning Objectives

At the end of the sprint, you should be able to do the following things. Make sure to check you can do them all, and if not, go back and keep practicing until you can.

What is Legacy Code? (Prep)

• Define legacy code

Understanding Legacy Code (Prep)

• Define legacy code and its characteristics
• List common challenges when working with legacy code

Practices to remember (Prep)

• Explain differences in approaching formatting of legacy vs greenfield projects.
• List what should be included in a PR description and why.
• Consider risk trade-offs when changing legacy code.

Familiarising Yourself With a Codebase (Prep)

• Explain the purpose of README files.
• Identify the directory structure of an existing project.
• Explain why and how project documentation may go out of date.

Getting Up and Running (Prep)

• Run a multi-process system despite missing/incorrect/out-of-date instructions.

Finding things (Prep)

• Use IDE features to navigate an unfamiliar codebase
• Trace a request flow through an application
• Sketch system architecture

Debugging: Proposing and Discarding Hypotheses (Prep)

• Apply scientific debugging methodology to legacy code
• Formulate and test hypotheses systematically
• Use browser debugging tools effectively with legacy applications

Fixing: Targeted Changes with Test Support (Prep)

• Make a small, targeted fix to legacy code
• Use tests to verify fixes don’t break existing functionality
• Document fixes and their rationale

Refining Poorly Specified Bugs (Day Plan)

• Report a high quality bug, including reproduction steps, expectations, observations, and environment.
• Identify key information from an error message.
• Improve a poor quality bug report with extra context.

Refining Purple Forest Bugs (Day Plan)

• Identify useful elements in a bug report.
• Explain what extra information would help make bug reports more clear.