Cut-and-Paste Programming

This anti-pattern is well known especially with StackOverflow facilitates such actions to the developers, especially with the new developers.

Consequences

• Same software bugs occur throughout the software despite local fixes.
• Lines of codes increases without increasing productivity.
• Needlessly extended code reviews and inspections.
• Difficult to fix all instances.
• Excessive maintenance cost.

Symptoms

• When code is considered self-documenting.
• Code can be reused in minimum efforts.
• Reusable assets are not converted into an easily reusable and documented form.

Causes

• When organization overly emphasize the point of naive reuse of codes over reusable modules or library.
• Context of the codes are not preserved along the code.
• Lacks abstractions from developer (can be technical debt, laziness, or resources constraints).
• Reusable components are not sufficiently documented for developers.
• Existing of "not-invented here" syndrome.
• When developers are not familiar with the technology / tools.

Fixing Recipes

1. Common refactoring with understandably.
2. Spend time filling in the missing puzzle.