Moving Forward with Legacy Code

Yes, progress is possible. Even in the worst legacy code projects. Yes, you’ll need courage, and discipline, but when you stick to the plan, you can make really big changes.

Part I: The Mikado Method

In part I of this tutorial we’ll practice these virtues by applying The Mikado Method, also known as: Just Do It, or Break things fast (but learn from it). This method can be applied in the small and in the large.

Part II: Refactoring tools

In part II we’ll look at improving your PHP toolchain so you can make amazing progress in a short amount of time. Switching frameworks, upgrading to new PHP versions, all of that is just the beginning. You can improve the design of your application at the architecture level, supported by Rector for automated refactorings and PHPStan for code analysis. We’ll find out that you no longer need to write tests before refactoring, but that you can write tests for the refactoring logic yourself and be done. The dream of every legacy developer (well, my dream, at least).