Consider the context when reusing code

Code reuse can feel so satisfying. You solved this problem once, and now you're encountering it again. No need to reinvent the wheel, right?

While code reuse can be a great timesaver, I want to share some times when it can lead to problems if you don't consider the context of the code you're copying.

For example, is this other project on the same version of Laravel? And if it is, was that particular solution written for that version of Laravel? If not, there may be a better way to solve that problem in the version you're using. You could be copying and perpetuating old solutions that are no longer the best practice.

Or maybe the solution in that project was written in a very specific way due to the business constraints of that project. You could be copying something that's more complicated or restricted than it needs to be for your current project.

Or, let's face it, maybe that code was written long enough ago that you've just matured as a developer, and now you could write a better solution without being tethered to the past.

So, yes, code reuse is a great time-saver, but don't just copy and paste code without understanding it and the context it was written in.

Here to help,

Joel

P.S. We all get stuck sometimes! Need a quick pairing session with a Laravel expert to get unstuck?