CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2009/wiki1a 9 DS

Reasearch in refactoring tools

Refactoring is defined as the technique by which the existing body of the code is restructured by changing the inner structure and without changing its external behavior. The tools which are used to achieve this purpose are commonly known as refactoring tools.

Overview

 This deals with the academic underpinnings of refactoring starting from its evolution and the initiatives taken to improve the     
 current generation of refactoring tools. It also throws lights up on the various books and papers on the topic of refactoring and 
 also various conferences and workshops conducted.

Academic Underpinnings

The first official thesis on the area of refactoring leads back to 1992 when Bill Opdyke finished his thesis on the topic "Refactoring Object-Oriented Frameworks". Bill Opdyke was working in Bill Laboratories developing electronic switching systems.