Vital Tips for Learning A New Codebase Quickly For Faster Productivity

Vital Tips for Learning A New Codebase Quickly For Faster Productivity. Adam Culp of Beachcasts php programming videos shares 6 tips on how to learn a new codebase quickly, while onboarding at a new job or project. We learn how to read code, and gaining an understanding quickly is important to software engineering. By learning a new codebase faster it enables us to become productive faster.

Please * LIKE, COMMENT, AND SUBSCRIBE * - and share with others!

Key Topics:
- Onboard at a new software engineering job quickly
- Take on smaller tasks to become familiar with code faster
- Find some mentors to help you navigate a new codebase
- Get code walkthrough from someone already familiar with the application
- Read documentation and wiki to pick up on business logic of a new application
- Leverage peer code reviews to onboard faster
- Define a rule to abandon prolonged blockers

Errata:
Let me know if you notice anything that should be errata

Associated Links:

Timeline:
00:00 Video Intro
00:59 Link to another of my videos on understanding code written by others
01:10 Take on small tasks to get hands-on in a new codebase
03:05 Get some mentors to help you become familiar with a codebase
04:06 Ask someone to give a walkthrough of new code functionality
05:16 Reading documentation and wiki to help learn a new codebase
05:51 Use code reviews to learn a new codebase quickly
07:20 Institute a "no progress" rule to prevent prolonged stagnation

Other Beachcasts videos you might find interesting:

Help through referrals:

#php #onboarding #beachcasts

[ward]

Learning how to read legacy/new codebases (other people's work) is very crucial. I've lost multiple jobs due to inability to understand big parts of the applications + trying to be "polite" and not sound too d*mb.

In my experience, almost 90% of projects I had to participate/code, were legacy/large complex "sloppy-second" projects. It was a pure bliss to start a new project - completely different appreciation.

This should be noted in every advice you could give to young developers.

[marsdwarf]

Thanks so much. I've used the Walkthrough method in the past and it saved me tons of hours and headaches.

[Bsusuaa]

1. Take on small task
2. Get a mentor
3. Ask someone for a walk-through
4. Read documentation
5. Code reviews
6. 'No progres' rule
7.

[theunknowndev]

This was tremendously helpful. I'm grokking a large-ish legacy codebase and these tips are great. Nice speaking style and production, keep up the good work!

[geoffberl]

Good tips, but if you "find dementor" you run, unless you can cast expecto petronum

[musicjunkie]

Imagine working on a team which doesn't do code reviews, total nightmare. That's a good question to ask during an interview.
Candidate: "you guys do code reviews right?
Sr Engineer: "What's that?"

[aleksandrg]

Thank you.
But "no progress" rule, may be harmful for your career in some companies with tough working culture, like Amazon.
BTW, even ask for help too much in such companies, may be bad idea)