How can I practice better object-oriented programming? [closed]

Question

I have been programming in object-oriented languages for years now but secretly I look at some of the things my colleagues do with envy. A lot of them seem to have some inner OO instinct that I don't have - no matter how hard I try. I've read all the good books on OO but still can't seem to crack it. I feel like the guy who gave 110% to be a professional footballer but just didn't have the natural talent to make it. I'm at a loss and thinking of switching careers - what should do I?

Answer 1

I would say focus less on the OO programming and focus more on the OO design. Grab a paper and a pencil (or maybe a UML modelling tool), and get away from the screen.

By practicing how to design a system, you'll start to get a natural feel for object relationships. Code is just a by-product of design. Draw diagrams and model your application in a purely non-code form. What are the relationships? How do your models interact? Don't even think about the code.

Once you've spent time designing... then translate it to code. You'll be surprised at just how quickly the code can be written from a good OO design.

After a lot of design practice, you'll start seeing common areas that can be modularized or abstracted out, and you'll see an improvement in both your designs and your code.

Answer 2

The easiest way is to learn concepts such as SOLID, DRY, FIT, DDD, TDD, MVC, etc. As you look up these acronyms it will lead you down many other rabbit holes and once you are done with your reading you should have a good understanding of what better object-oriented programming is!

SOLID podcasts: http://www.hanselminutes.com/default.aspx?showID=168, http://www.hanselminutes.com/default.aspx?showID=163

SOLID breakdown: http://butunclebob.com/ArticleS.UncleBob.PrinciplesOfOod

DRY: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_repeat_yourself

FIT: http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/38221.htm

DDD: http://dddcommunity.org/

DDD required reading: http://www.infoq.com/minibooks/domain-driven-design-quickly

TDD: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test-driven_development

MVC: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model%E2%80%93view%E2%80%93controller

And yes, rolling up your sleeves and coding is always a good idea. Make a small project to the best of your current abilities. Then read an article from above. Then refactor your code to meet the needs of what you just read. Repeat until you have refactored the hell out of your code. At the end you should not only know what OO is all about but you should be able to explain why it is important and how to get their the first time. Learning how to refactor is a key to good code too. What is right now is not right tomorrow.