There is no simple answer to it - my workflow is not foolproof. I tend to make few mistakes, but these are tracked and reversed very easily.
I work on different OS env - Mac (primary), Linux and Windows. So I tend to organise my workflow with minimum tooling and without having to depend on gui and installing dependencies on a machine (only exception is windows I will install Notepad++). Mac has sublime installed, because people get distracted/confused looking at vi when I am screen sharing.
Typical workflow for refactoring:
- Take a backup or git branch if it is not a simple search and replace.
- Search for usage of full module name -
Foo.ManagerandManager. - Perform a search and replace after refining search.
- Mental model of code and familiarity with framework/configurations helps refine searches.
There will be some overhead with this workflow when refactoring unfamiliar code bases and frameworks. But I tend to save time eventually and debug things quickly because of constant scanning and looking at different files with this workflow.
I read compile/build logs every time they are generated - eliminates the need for constant feedback/distractions from language servers and linters in editor.
Tools like tmux, grep, git, diff, etc are part of the workflow.
